The Nuzlocke Logs: First Run Cuts Deepest
by Ssjshadic
Summary: Follow Bruce's Pokemon journey through the Kanto region via his daily log entries as he takes on the Nuzlocke challenge. Numerous obstacles stand to be overcome, including his rival, Gary Oak, biker gangs, Kanto's gym leaders, and the seemingly omnipresent criminal organization, Team Rocket. Rated T for both Pokemon and human battles and language.
1. Day 0

**A/N:** This started out as a relatively factual daily log of the events of a Nuzlocke challenge (obviously). But the details I put in to make more interesting got to a point where it doesn't follow the exact events of the game (Blue version) or the exact details of what occurred during the challenge, and took on a form much more like a story. That gradual evolution will become more apparent with each log entry. I also obviously don't own Pokemon in any shape or form whatsoever. I hope you can still enjoy it regardless!

* * *

Bruce's Log- Day 0

I hear the rules in my head even as I lay in my bed, my backpack packed for the big day tomorrow, packed with spare clothes, basic food, water... The most important thing are the rules though...

"Pokemon are to be treasured, to be made precious, to be cautious in using, for once they are K.O.'d, they are gone forever..."

"The only Pokemon you may capture is the first one you encounter in a given area."

"All Pokemon must be given nicknames."

_'The last rule is the easiest...'_

I turn over restlessly in my bed, anxiously awaiting the arrival of morning. I know that he'll be starting tomorrow too. My life long rival, Professor Oak's own grandson, Gary Oak.


	2. Day 1

Bruce's Log-Day 1

I awoke this morning with the sun, long before my mother was up and about. I dressed in the clothes that had been laid out for me, and fired up the PC that I had used for years for the last time. I withdrew the Potion which I had purchased last year for this very day, and, leaving a note for my mother, left the house. I hurried over to Professor Oaks' lab, only to see his grandson, Gary, already there.

"Yo, Bruce! You're late! All the Pokemon have been taken already!"

"Har har, Gary. Where's Oak?"

Gary smirked smugly, and I rolled my eyes before he answered.

"I dunno, he's probably obsessing over his research again and forgotten all about today."

Frustrated, I hurried back out of the lab, running toward Route 1 that led to Viridian City. I had barely taken a single step into the tall grass within which Pokemon lurk, than I heard Oaks' voice call out.

"WAIT!"

The professor appeared within moments, leading me back toward his lab.

"You can't just wander around so carelessly like that without a Pokemon!"

I sighed, walking into the lab again and taking the leftmost of the Pokeballs without even listening to Oak's talk about how he had come around to acquiring them. For me, the choice was clear- Charmander, the fire type lizard Pokemon. Knowing the rules, I gave him the nickname Jenso. I was about to leave when Gary interrupted my departure and challenged me to a battle.

"Yo, Bruce! Let's test out our Pokemon!"

Not one to run away, I accepted, unsurprised to find that he had chosen the Pokemon with the tactical advantage over mine, Squirtle, which he had nicknamed Teixeira. Fortunately for me, neither of our Pokemon had learned but a couple of attacks, and, with luck, I defeated him.

"No way! I picked the wrong Pokemon!"

As was custom for a loser to do, Gary rewarded me with a sum of money before sneering his catchphrase.

"Smell ya later!"

With that, he took off, as did I, eager to begin the journey of a lifetime, Jenso at my side.

* * *

We arrived at Viridian City with relatively little trouble or resistance. As I entered the PokeMart, the cashier called out to me.

"Hey! You're from Pallet Town, right?"

"Yeah, how can you tell?"

"I'd recognize Professor Oak's Charmander anywhere!"

Jenso perked up at the mention of his previous master.

"By the way, would you mind taking this parcel to Oak?"

"Well, I-"

"Thanks!"

Without being given a chance to respond, I, albeit reluctantly, took the parcel & left the building.

* * *

"Bruce! How's my Pokemon?"

Jenso happily greeted his old master, as I handed the package to the professor.

"Well, you must be treating well! Thank you for bringing me this parcel."

It was then that Gary barged in loudly, as if his arrival was to be heralded.

"Gramps! You wanted to see me?"

Oak handled both of us a small, red handheld device, which he called a Pokedex. My mind wandered, as did my feet, for I wasn't broken out of my trance until Jenso let out a surprised cry as he ran after me.

* * *

I wasted no time getting back to Viridian City after acquiring a town map from Gary's sister. Once Jenso had received a brief respite at the Pokemon Center, I immediately bought Pokeballs, extra potions and antidotes for the road ahead.

* * *

As well as the road behind. After returning to the waist high grasses of Route 1, now armed with several Pokeballs, I managed to capture a younger brother for Jenso, as well as my first successful catch- Ares, the Pidgey, a bird of war. Immediately, I healed my newest addition and headed North, ignoring the ramblings of an old man as I passed him, unaware that I would encounter my third team member sooner than I thought. Making sure not to K.O. the new Pokemon, as both Jenso & Ares were at a much higher level, I acquired- Gonzales, the Rattata with swift feet. On my way back to Viridian's Pokemon Center, I saw the peak of Victory Road, the path to the Indigo Plateau. My interest & curiosity piqued, I made a short side-trip to see what I could, meeting yet another teammate, Xena, the female Nidoran warrior. Before I could make it past the second patch of grass, however, Gary appeared again & another battle ensued, one which I won with minimal injury to my team. Now, as the first day of my journey draws to a close, I ponder what new challenges lay ahead for my Pokemon and I.


	3. Day 2

Bruce's Log- Day 2

I very nearly made a grave mistake today- not once, but twice. I awoke in the Viridian City Pokemon center, with my team at my bedside, and I started back North toward Viridian forest. Keeping the rules in mind, I equipped myself with a Pokeball, keen on adding a fifth to my team. I soon encountered my first Pokemon, and managed another successful capture- Athena, a wise Caterpie of strategy rather than of brutality. It was then that I began to meet the other trainers, and that was where I made the first of my mistakes. Many of the trainers used Weedles, a Pokemon which specialized in poison attacks. I switched out my Pokemon as often as possible, knowing that the newest of the team needed the experience. But I was careless in doing so, as my supply of antidotes quickly ran dry. Gonzales was out, he was doing remarkably well, and I wanted to continue to help him grow stronger-then, the enemy Weedle attacked with Poison sting, ailing Gonzales. Weakened and sickly, he crumpled into a heap, while Jenso leapt up to the challenge, burning his opponent with a fierce display of Ember. I panicked, I had no antidotes, and Gonzales didn't have enough strength to last another trip back to the Viridian PokeMart. I spotted something out of the corner of my eye, and was blessed to see an abandoned antidote upon the forest floor. I grabbed Gonzales and I ran, listening painfully to his chirps as they grew steadily weaker, crashing through the trees, ignoring all the wild Pokemon that stood between me and my friends precious antidote. I skidded to a halt, feeding it to Gonzales. He gasped for air, and I refreshed him further with a Potion, and he sprang to his feet, revived. I let out a long sigh, thankful that I hadn't lost him.

* * *

But I got careless again. Having reached Pewter City, and knowledgeable that my team lacked any strategical advantage over the gym leader's Pokemon, I decided to train. Gonzales, despite his ordeal earlier, was eager to participate, so I humored him. We came across an unusually large, strong Pidgey, and I found myself reaching for Jenso's Pokeball, but Gonzales attacked, and, for a moment, it seemed he would come out victorious without a scratch. Then, a blast of sand kicked up from the Pidgey's large wings blinded Gonzales, leaving him vulnerable to its Gust attack. Gonzales was blown skyward, crashing into the ground, severely bruised and weakened, struggling to stand. The wild Pidgey prepared to unleash a second assault, just as Ares came down on it with his own Gust, finishing it off. I carefully lifted Gonzales into my arms, rushing him to the Pokemon Center, too weak to even make a sound. I decided to let him rest until I was ready to face the gym leader, and returned to training without him, having come so close to losing him again...

* * *

Things moved quickly after that. Athena evolved into a Metapod, Ares learned Quick Attack, and the whole team grew much stronger. I returned to retrieve Gonzales, who was eager to prove himself in battle as I barged into the Pewter City Gym.

"I'm here to challenge the gym leader."

My team sounded off to vouch for my challenge, Gonzales and Athena at either side of me, Ares perched on my left shoulder, Xena on my right, with Jenso projecting his clear dominance as the strongest in front of me, smoke flaring from his little nostrils. The gym lights snapped on, the sudden glare temporarily blinding. I peered out from squinted eyes as a shadowed figure walked down a short staircase, halting at the end of a battlefield covered with boulders.

"Very well. My name is Brock, I specialize in Rock-type Pokemon."

Brocks expression was hardened like stone, fitting for one with a preference for Rock-types.

"I'm almost impressed. Your team is considerably large. Where are you from, kid?"

"My name is Bruce, for your information, and I'm from Pallet town. Are we going to do this thing or what?"

Brock chuckled, pulling out his first Pokeball.

"Suit yourself. Let's begin."

I began with Ares, blinding Brock's Geodude with several Sand-Attacks before gradually chipping away at it with Gust and Quick Attack. It only got me so far, for Geodude's natural defense and endurance allowed it to take blow after blow and continue to dish out strong attacks. I quickly switched out Ares for Jenso, whose flames were able to do considerably more damage, finally taking our first opponent out.

"Not bad, I must admit. But I can guarantee you've never seen anything like this."

Brock called out his final Pokemon, Onix, a Pokemon known for it's sheer size and iron defense. I recalled Jenso temporarily, switching out for Gonzales. Onix attacked violently, but Gonzales' speed was too much for it, his Quick Attack gradually softening up Onix' endurance. Switching out again, I called out Athena, using her String Shot to entwine Onix in a semi-spherical net of thick webbing, calling forth Jenso again as the giant Pokemon struggled to free itself.

"Finish it, Jenso!"

Jenso released a powerful Ember, igniting the intricately woven webbing and surrounding Onix in flames. When the fire died down, the huge Pokemon was unconscious, defeated.

"Incredible strategy on your part. You've earned a Boulder Badge, Bruce. Congratulations."

I gratefully accepted.

"Thank you, Brock. Good battle."

* * *

I figured I still had some time before nightfall, so after allowing my team a well-deserved meal and some rest, I headed out for Route 3. Not much to say, except for Athena evolving further into a Butterfree after battling a couple trainers. I returned to Pewter City's Pokemon center for the night. As I bring this log entry to a close, I find myself feeling thankful again for being able to keep all of my team mates, and for avoiding any losses thus far. I can only hope it continues to be as such.


	4. Day 3

Bruce's Log-Day 3

I messed up. There's nothing else to say. I screwed up badly. I don't know where to start... I can't even really remember what drove me to continue after what happened. After what happened with Gonzales, you'd have thought I'd be able to learn from my mistakes. But even if I gained three new Pokemon today, I lost two as well, and it feels like there's not even much point in going on. Maybe if I write it all down here in this journal, I can honor their memory somehow...

The day began promising enough. I defeated all the trainers in my way, I managed to capture another Pokemon, although it was too weak for me to use, so I stored it in the PC. Mt. Moon came next, along with Zubat, aka Starscream. Nothing important or significant occurred for a while, a few items on the way I picked up, a few trainers I battled. The most significant event was that Jenso evolved into Charmeleon, right before... what happened. I foolishly continued to venture forth, and battled a rogue trainer of Team Rocket, whose sole Pokemon was Raticate... I sent out Athena, but she was defeated with one hit. I called upon Ares for vengeance, but instead I suffered another loss at the hand of that damn criminal. Jenso, sharing my painful emotions, growled fiercely, shredding the Raticate ruthlessly and burning the remains. I pummeled the Rocket grunt, but I felt no better for it. Leaving him unconscious to fend for himself without a Pokemon, the rest is only a blur of fury and Jenso's flames. Last I remember is getting the Dome fossil from another trainer before exiting the cave. I had Gonzales dig their graves, and everyone helped to bury them. I encountered a Sandshrew on the way to Cerulean city, and donned him Baxter, but he's still not Ares or Athena. I trained for many hours trying to forget, but I couldn't, not even Xena's evolution into Nidorina, and then, with a Moon stone, into Nidoqueen, did much for my self-esteem.

Now, holding my hand over Jenso's warm, sleeping body, I feel the tears streak anew down my face, wondering how I'm going to bring myself to get up again in the morning.

"Team Rocket..."

A flare is rising in my heart, a hatred that cannot be quelled.

"I swear, upon their graves, I will hunt every last one of you down..."


	5. Day 4

Bruce's Log-Day 4

Jenso nudged me awake around noon today, and, grumbling, I got dressed. I walked out of the Pokemon Center, heading North out of habit. Gary, of all people, broke me out of my trance.

"Yo, Bruce! You still draggin' your feet back here?"

"I'm trying to sulk here, Gary."

"Depressing as ever! Show me your Pokemon!"

I was apprehensive about battling again, but my team sprang forward, and, nervously, I accepted. Using Xena and Jenso as my power players, I managed to avoid another loss.

"Chill out! You won already!"

My confidence was slightly renewed, as Gary threw up a peace sign with his catchphrase.

"Smell ya later!"

* * *

I fought a series of five trainers, gaining a golden nugget as a reward from another trainer at the end. This trainer offered me a position in Team Rocket, revealing that he was a Rocket grunt. Instead, Jenso and I destroyed him and his team. Then I encountered another younger trainer, using a Rattata to start off. I sent out Gonzales, and then...

"HYPER FANG!"

Gonzales took the full brunt of the attack, but he didn't get up.

"G-Gonzales?"

He didn't respond, and I had failed another team member.

"Xena... Destroy this RAT!"

Xena cracked her tail into the Rattata's tiny body, as I charged the young trainer, pinning him to the ground, holding my fist over his head as he screamed. I swung my first down, only to be stopped by an orange, clawed hand. Jenso growled, telling me that he was angry too, but that this kid wasn't cruel like the Rocket grunt had been. I let up, speaking coldly as I picked up Gonzales' stiff body.

"This fight is over. Keep your damn money. It won't be enough compensation for what you've taken anyway."

I had Baxter dig his grave, while Xena buried his him. I sat down a distance away from his grave, while all but Jenso mourned for Gonzales. Jenso sat down with me, his flame-tipped tail swaying back and forth lazily.

"Am I a bad trainer, Jenso?"

He growled in protest, but I still wasn't convinced.

"I was doing so well in the beginning. I had a nearly full team. I saved Gonzales from death twice, only to fail him now. I've lost three team members in two days. At the rate things are going, I'll never make it to the League."

Jenso punched my shoulder, pointing to the flame that adorned his tail. It was weak at first, then it suddenly grew intermittently, until it was radiating a powerful heat. I understood, and smiled a little, recalling my team and continuing onto Route 25. I encountered a Bellsprout, donned it Gaia, after the Earth Goddess. I returned to Route 24 briefly to see what I could catch, and... I found a new Pidgey.

"Ares... I don't mean to try to replace you... But maybe this Pidgey can carry on your image."

I captured it, named it Kratos, and returned to Route 4 to train. I trained, and trained for most of the day, until finally Kratos evolved into Pidgeotto.

_'I'm not taking any chances again. I don't want to lose anyone else.'_

Baxter and Gaia grew, though Starscream didn't get much stronger. Despite that, we defeated trainer after trainer along Route 25, until we reached Bill's house, who had apparently fused himself with a Pokemon in an experiment gone wrong. After helping him, he gave me a ticket to the S.S. Anne in Vermillion, and I decided to rest for the night there, having exhausted myself and my team.

_'I don't want to lose anyone else...'_


	6. Day 5

Bruce's Log-Day 5

"I hate Raticates..."

Jenso grunted with effort as he lay down Xena's heavy body, having carried her for a long while back to Route 24 all the way from Route 6.

"Thanks, Jenso..."

He didn't make any sound, just nodded, shivering with emotion as Baxter began to dig. I thought back to when I had returned to Cerulean to see that the police were guarding a house that had apparently been broken into. When I had asked what was going on, they said they suspected Team Rocket to be responsible. Merely hearing that name brought hatred into my eyes, and I pushed past the officer standing in front of the door, easily spotting the black uniform of the Rocket grunt responsible. I called out Kratos, Xena and Jenso to do battle as I jumped the filthy criminal, beating him mercilessly before he could even make up a lie about why he was there.

"Killing and abusing Pokemon isn't enough for you? Now you're robbing houses?!"

I knocked him unconscious, hearing Jenso's cry behind me, pointing toward a severely weakened Kratos and Xena, having barely defeated the Rocket's Drowzee. I rushed them to the Pokemon Center, picking up the stolen Teaching Machine the Grunt had taken. The move it taught was Dig, which I knew was perfect for Baxter. After healing at the Center, we headed down South. We encountered a Meowth, one which I donned Simba, but having a full team at the time, he was transferred back to the PC storage system. After traveling underground a short ways, I ended up on Route 6, but I found that the first Pokemon I encountered was another Pidgey, which, having Kratos, was useless to me. I battled a few trainers, then two in a row before being allowed into Vermillion City. The last of the trainers had a Raticate... Jenso was paralyzed, and everyone else on my team was either too tired or too weak... Xena seemed to intuitively understand this and leapt into the air, smashing the ground where the Raticate had previously been with her considerably huge body. The Raticate used Hyper Fang while I used a Full Restore I had found in the underground tunnel to heal Jenso. Xena was thoroughly weakened, but standing. I was about to send out Jenso, but the Raticate was too quick, and it used Hyper Fang again, the bane of my journey. The rat Pokemon's teeth broke through Xena's armored body, sinking deep into her flesh. The ground shook as she fell, Jenso, again, avenging his fallen friend. Xena's eyes seemed to smile at me before fading and closing for good, her head in my arms.

"HAH! Lookit this kid! He's crying! Boohoo!"

"Hush! Can't you tell he's upset?"

"Oh, wah-wah! That Nidoqueen was lame anyway."

The young trainer's words stabbed my ears like a knife, as I tenderly lay down Xena's head to the ground, standing up, my eyes dark as I slowly walked toward the male trainer with the Raticate.

"Lame or not, you're going to make sure her body isn't defiled until I come back here."

"Oh, yeah? Why should I?"

I stood just in front of him, he was just a little kid trying to impress his girlfriend, probably ten or twelve years old, as opposed to me, being sixteen, towering over him. I clenched my fist, and I saw the kid's eyes fill with fear, though he tried not to show it.

"Because if you don't, then you can be sure that your Raticate, who, I remind you, is responsible for KILLING another Pokemon, will never be able to use his teeth again."

There was silence for many moments, until the kid just nodded his head, shaking uncontrollably as I walked with Jenso to the Vermillion City Pokemon Center, healing up my team quickly before retrieving Xena's body.

* * *

We finished burying her next to Gonzales, and I knelt beside the dirt that covered her from sight, touching it tenderly.

"I'm sorry I can't bring either of you back to your homes, where I originally found you... But at least this way, neither of you will be lonely, right?"

I paused for several moments, as though expecting an answer, before standing up and wiping the tears off my face, my pace measured and slow so that my team would have enough time to mourn over Xena before catching up to me.

* * *

I knew that sulking would drop not only my own morale, but the morale of my team as well, so I tried as best I could to be cheerful, or at least, not depressed as we re-entered Vermillion City. I found myself talking to an older man who enjoyed fishing, who gave me an Old Rod to use for myself. Deciding it might be a good way to keep my mind off of Xena, I fished in the harbor near the docks, adding a Magikarp, Poseidon, to my team. I knew it was weak at the time of capture, but that it would grow to be much stronger when it evolved. Not wanting to lose anyone else in the battles that lay ahead, I trained Gaia for a good while before returning to Cerulean City to face the gym leader, Misty. She had set up the gym like a swimming pool, and though I knew I had the advantage, I was unsettled about using only Gaia. Misty sent out Staryu, a starfish Pokemon, one which only made me more frightened for my team when it sent Gaia flying with a full body tackle. She recovered though, her roots stretching out like vines and dealing out a severe thrashing upon Staryu. Next, the final opponent, was Starmie, Staryu's evolved form and a psychic type as well as water type. Gaia was elegant in her performance, her flexible body twisting and swaying back and forth, dodging Starmie's Water Gun assault. Then, using it's psychic abilities, Starmie held Gaia in place, launching a huge blast of water onto her, sending her crashing into the Gym walls.

"Gaia!"

She was merely scratched, however, and, leaping into the air over Starmie, entwined her opponent and sent it into the Gyms floor beneath gallons of water with incredible force, winning me a Cascade Badge.

"You were amazing, Gaia!"

She smiled as we walked out of the Gym to our recently acquired bicycle after obtaining a bike voucher from the president of a Pokemon fan club in Vermillion. Recalling Gaia and healing at the Pokemon Center, I cycled back to Vermillion, set on still more training, knowing it was the only way I could keep from losing anyone else.

* * *

I trained for hours on end, harder than I ever had before, until finally, Gaia evolved into Weepinbell. I began to challenge the trainers on the S.S. Anne, and soon, Baxter also evolved, into Sandslash. After a quick, uneventful battle with Gary, I obtained the move Cut from the ship's captain, teaching it to Gaia before getting off and watching the ship depart before heading to the Vermillion gym. I was able to defeat all the trainers preceding the leader himself, Surge, with Baxter alone. Baxter, strong though he was, was showing slight signs of fatigue, though he hadn't taken a single hit. I was nervous again, as Surge stood high over me, his intimidating talk of war only causing further anxiety. First, Voltorb was easily cut down with Baxter's recently learned Slash attack, followed by Pikachu. Then, the last Pokemon, Raichu, appeared, and made his entrance clear with an explosive Thunderbolt, which sent lightning out in wild, random directions, one landing and engulfing Baxter.

"BAXTER!"

He didn't move for a brief moment, before nonchalantly dusting himself, completely unaffected by the fierce display. Before Surge's Raichu could make another move, Baxter struck from below with a devastating Dig attack, K. it and winning me the Thunder Badge.

"That was AWESOME, Baxter!"

I held the worn out Sandslash up over my head, as he chirped happily in reply.

* * *

Having won two badges today, I decided to stop here in Vermillion before heading back North. I have a feeling that the Cut technique could open up a new are for me there. But for now, as I close the log book once more, I pray for the souls of the four team mates I have lost, hoping secretly that they can find it in themselves to forgive me, my exhaustion lulling me into sleep before the tears begin to fall from my eyes.


	7. Day 6

Bruce's Log-Day 6

"GAIA!"

I had to shield my eyes as the opposing trainer's Geodude used Self-Destruct, taking Gaia down with it. It was impossible to see in Rock Tunnel, but I didn't need to as Gaia crashed against me, stiff and lifeless, hot blood flowing from her wounds. The Hiker I had battled laughed, LAUGHED at having been defeated.

"A lesson for you, kid. Sorry you had to learn it the hard way, but there it is-Beware of Self-Destruct."

Jenso growled, building up a flame in his throat, but I held him back, recalling him and bringing out Baxter.

"Thanks for the tip... I'm sorry I had to learn it the hard way too... Here's a tip for you that I also learned the hard way-Beware of Raticate's and their Hyper Fang."

Before he could say anything else, we were gone, Baxter digging our way back to the Pokemon Center on Route 9. As soon as he was finished, however, he ran, clearly emotionally disturbed and angry as I was. I called out the rest of my team, excluding Poseidon, to look after Gaia's body before chasing after him, managing to tackle him to the ground before he reached the water's edge.

"Baxter, listen! I know it's painful, but-"

I wasn't able to finish, Baxter sliced deeply into my leg with his claws, and I recoiled, crying out in surprised pain. He ran off again, this time to the West, and I tried to follow him, but I quickly lost sight of him, unable to move any faster than a limping walk because of the gash in my leg.

"BAXTER!"

I refused to stop searching, despite falling down on my face multiple times, I pushed myself back onto my feet, the thought of losing two of them in one day too painful to just accept. I eventually found him, huddled into a half-dug hole, shivering. I slumped down next to him, letting him keep his space.

"Baxter, I understand. I know you two made a really good fighting team. I'd give anything to get her back."

His shivers slowly lessened, but he still wouldn't show his face, apparently ashamed of his emotions.

"But please, Baxter, don't run off like that. I went through a day, before I met you, when I lost two of my friends at once, and I don't know if I could handle going through that kind of pain again."

He still didn't move, and I sighed, wincing at the pain in my bleeding leg wound, putting my head down onto my arms. I felt his body against mine, and I heard his chirps of apology.

"It's okay. It's just a scratch."

* * *

Baxter gently lowered Gaia's body into the ground before covering it, tears rolling down my face, the pain of loss no lessened by the frequency as of late.

"I'm sorry, Gaia. It's my fault that you're not still here, my fault that you won't see the next town with us."

Several moments passed in silence before I headed into the Pokemon Center, withdrawing a Pokemon I had caught just that morning on this very route. Voltorb, aka, Dyno, filled the sixth vacancy that was left behind with Gaia's passing, and once more, I ventured into the darkness of Rock Tunnel.

* * *

It wasn't long after re-entrance into the cave that Starscream finally evolved into Golbat, leaving him far stronger than he had ever been. After many more trainer battles, I found the exit, leading into Lavender town. After healing at the Pokemon Center, I walked into Pokemon Tower, a building which held graves for all dead Pokemon in Kanto. Before I could pay my respects, however, I ran into Gary again, who, after being beaten again in an uneventful battle, departed with his catchphrase again.

"Smell ya later!"

It was then that I noticed a grave marked 'Raticate', with Gary's name engraved as it's trainer beneath it.

"Gary!"

He paused at the head of the staircase, speaking without turning to face me.

"What?"

"Sorry for your loss..."

He didn't respond at first, then called out as he continued on his way, throwing up a peace sign.

"Keep yourself outta trouble, B."

I felt a strange comfort in knowing that someone understood how I felt, thought it was quickly transformed into irritation at the sound of a radio someone had turned up too high.

_'In a place of mourning? Really, jackass?'_

I turned toward the sound, walking over to the person holding it before halting, at the words being spoken over the radio.

"And in news of Celadon City-Conspiracy in the Slots... Rumors have been circulating that the Celadon Casino is even less wholesome than just a place to gamble, but that it is also run by the criminal organization known as Team Rocket."

Just hearing that name brought raw fury into my thoughts, as I charged down the stairs and out of the tower, vowing to return after gaining some well-deserved vengeance upon the terrorist group. Nearly a dozen trainers challenged me on the way to Celadon, all of which I blazed through with Jenso's flames and Baxter's claws, sprinting through the underground passage that connected Route 8 to Route 7, only slowing down once I reached the Celadon Pokemon Center. After briefly retracing my steps back to the two routes and finding no new Pokemon, I walked as casually as possible toward the Celadon Casino, trying to look older than I actually was, noticing several Rocket members in uniform skulking around the city, my eyes flaring with hatred at the mere sight of them. I held up Poseidon's Pokeball, gripping it to try to keep myself calm and collected, smirking to myself.

_'Heh. If I'm able to find out where they're hiding, this'll be a perfect opportunity to give you the chance to get the experience necessary for evolution, Poseidon.'_

I returned my Pokeball to my waist as I entered the Casino, searching through the crowded building for any signs of Team Rocket. I eventually found what I was looking for in the back, a Rocket grunt in his colors, though not in official uniform. I slipped through the crowds, tapping his shoulder, feigning knowledge of the operation, whispering.

"Got new orders from the superiors. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"

He looked me over briefly before turning and leading me into a closet room, locking the door behind me and punching my gut, leaving me gasping for air.

"Not bad for a half-rate infiltration attempt, Jr., but the Boss doesn't waste manpower to relay orders unless there's an emergency. And since there isn't any sort of alarm going off to let me slip out unnoticed, that clearly isn't the case. So, why don't you tell me who sent you here and maybe I'll let you go. I don't like having to hurt kids, after all."

I was on the floor, as he sent out two Pokemon, Raticate and Nidorino, in an attempt to intimidate me. I propped myself up onto one knee, grinning up at him with darkened eyes.

"It may be half-rate, but it's more than enough for scum like yourselves."

He sneered, ordering his Nidorino to attack. A split-second before it's lethal horn could impale me, Baxter shot out from the floor, knocking the Nidorino unconscious with a vicious sneak attack.

"WHAT?!"

The grunt's Raticate soon followed, K.O.'d by Jenso, having leapt up out of Baxter's tunnel after him.

"Damn!"

The Rocket grunt pulled out a whip, lashing it out at me, which I easily avoided before pinning him down, beating him senseless, throwing him against a wall.

"Now, how about you tell me where your 'Boss' is operating from and maybe I won't have Jenso here burn you... badly, anyway."

"Tch... There's a hidden staircase, you can access it by hitting the switch that's hidden under the poster just outside the closet door."

"Thanks."

I turned and walked out the door as Jenso smacked the criminals face with his tail, the flame on its tip leaving a burn mark and knocking him out cold. I pressed the switch discreetly, hearing something move inside the closet room. Walking back inside, I saw a hole in the floor that revealed a staircase leading to a hidden basement. I glared at the unconscious Rocket as I walked down the steps.

"You're getting better than you deserve, scum."

* * *

I managed to enter the hideout without triggering any alarms, although I did catch the attention of several guards. Despite being overwhelmingly outnumbered, I defeated them one by one with the aid of my team, making significantly more headway deeper into the compound with the timely evolution of Poseidon into the mighty Gyrados. Finally, I entered a room in the deepest level of the hideout, easily beating the two guards that stood outside the electronic doors. An ominous voice emanated from a shadowed figure, sitting nonchalantly on the opposite end of a table.

"I had gotten word of your intrusion. I'm impressed you managed to get this far."

I didn't listen, I just had Jenso launch a powerful fireball towards him, only to have it be blocked by his Rhyhorn. The powerful Pokemon charged forward, its weight causing the floor to rumble. Baxter halted the powerhouse Pokemon with an amazing Dig attack, K. the Rhyhorn with one hit. Next came an Onix, a perfect strategical opponent for Poseidon, the two huge snake-like Pokemon colliding against one another until Poseidon finished it with a blast of water from its jaws.

"Impressive for one so young. Now, for my last Pokemon."

A Kangaskhan came out from the Rocket leader's last Pokeball, crushing the table beneath its weight. Jenso stepped up, quickly finishing his sizable opponent with his flames.

"Tch. I concede that you have won this round. Farewell."

Before I could take any action against him, he threw up a smoke bomb and disappeared, leaving behind a strange device, labeled 'Silph Scope'. I read the instructions that lay next to it, and my eyes widened, reading that the contraption allowed people to see the ghosts of deceased Pokemon...

* * *

Having thoroughly devastated Team Rockets operation in Celadon, I healed at the Pokemon Center before heading into the Pokemon Mart, said to have almost everything imaginable for purchase. With a heavy heart, I bought a Leaf Stone, planning to honor Gaia's memory when I returned to Lavender Town. I headed East briefly, taking a side path around a huge sleeping Pokemon, which led only to a secluded getaway occupied by a lone soul. She pleaded that I keep her secret in return for being given the Teaching machine for a flying Pokemon technique. After teaching it to Kratos, I returned to Celadon, having one last objective to complete before returning to Lavender Town...

* * *

I grimaced at an old pervert peeping in on the gym before walking inside, Kratos on my shoulder, Jenso smirking in front of me. I found out why the old man had been peeping, the gym was full of nothing but girls. I didn't care, though, I still had misplaced anger to vent out from having been unsuccessful in taking down Team Rockets' leader.

"Who's the leader here?"

A single, violet-haired woman walked out from amongst the crowd of younger trainers, proclaiming herself the Gym Leader.

"I take it you are here to challenge me. Very well, but do not take me lightly."

I was shocked when the first Pokemon she sent out was Victreebel, the evolved form of Weepinbell.

"Gaia...?"

Jenso turned and looked up at me questioningly.

"J-just take it out, Jenso."

He growled affirmatively, taking his place on the battlefield. The battle was more tedious than I expected, and I soon felt more guilt pile on as Jenso was poisoned by his opponent. Rushing to his side while Kratos finished the job, many thoughts raced through my mind.

_'Gaia... Are you speaking to me? Are you angry that I made such a foolish mistake, that I allowed you to die? Don't take it out on them, take it out on me! It's my fault!'_

Before I knew what was happening, the battle was over, and I was whispering the words over and over to myself as Erika walked towards me.

"I don't know who Gaia is, but I can assure you, she isn't angry with you. You should get your Charmeleon back to a Pokemon Center. Before you go, here's your Rainbow Badge."

I took it, holding back tears as I sprinted back to the Pokemon Center with Jenso in my arms, Kratos following in my wake.

* * *

I sighed with relief when I saw Jenso, perfectly healthy, walking toward me, and I embraced him.

"I should've known you wouldn't leave me."

He simply nodded, and now, as I watch the sun set upon this day, holding the Leaf Stone in my hand, I feel a single tear fall from my eyes, awaiting the dawn when I can visit my lost friends.


	8. Day 7

Bruce's Log-Day 7

I awoke earlier than usual this morning, my mind jolted into the waking world by a loud crack of thunder. I found myself in the Pokemon Center, having dozed off with the Leaf Stone gripped tightly in my hand. I stretched the stiffness out of my body, walking to the counter where a drowsy nurse handed me my Pokeballs. I called everyone out except Poseidon, starting for the exit only to be jerked backwards by Baxter, clearly unnerved by the rain outside.

"Oh... right. Okay, Baxter, Jenso, Starscream and Kratos get to sleep in until the storm passes, good?"

Baxter chirped eagerly in agreement as I recalled him. Kratos and Starscream, probably both glad they wouldn't have to get their wings wet, were equally content with another few hours of rest. Jenso, however, was more reluctant before resigning himself.

"Sorry, buddy. You'll get your fair share later."

* * *

I stepped out into the pelting rain, the cold water shocking me out of my groggy state of mind. Dyno excitedly let his electricity crackle.

"Whoa, Dyno, chill. Wait til we're out of the city, we don't want to be responsible for any kind of damage."

Somewhat dejectedly, he obeyed, rolling after me as we exited Celadon. I called out Poseidon, and he happily relished the downpour, basking in his element.

_'Time for some battle experience.'_

And for hours, until the storm let up, we trained.

* * *

The rain stopped, but the sky still remained darkened by ominous clouds as I walked into Lavender Town. I was surprised to find it even more desolate than usual, the streets bare of all but one resident. From a distance, I thought they were a female, but then as they drew closer, they suddenly seemed to change into a man, a dark shroud surrounding their head.

"Begone... Intruder!"

He lunged at me, throwing a punch that I easily dodged, but he moved in such an unnaturally fluid way that he twisted around to attack again.

"Whoa! HEY!"

I looked more closely at the figure, and saw, instead of a person, a ghost. I equipped the Silph Scope over my eyes, and saw that it was actually a Gastly. Knowledgeable of the rules, I managed to capture it, naming him Tyrone before he was transferred to the PC storage system. Having been caught off-guard, I paused to catch my breath and think.

"Are you alright?"

I looked up, seeing the PokeMart clerk walking toward me.

"That depends. Are you a ghost too?"

He chuckled nervously.

"No... But thank you for getting rid of it."

I just nodded, looking toward Pokemon Tower, where the clouds seemed darkest overhead.

"You know what's going on?"

"No, I was hoping you could tell me."

I stood up, facing the Tower as I spoke.

"I need to buy some supplies. I'm going in to investigate."

He responded somewhat surprised, still nervous.

"Are you sure?"

I turned back toward him, walking into the PokeMart and collecting the Super Potions I knew I would need.

"I can't properly mourn those I've lost if there's a disturbance in the Tower."

After purchasing supplies, I walked back out into the open, calling out my team.

"Alright, everyone. Nap time's over."

* * *

We were bombarded by Ghost Pokemon from the very start as we made our way up. Once we reached the third floor, we encountered a new obstacle-possessed 'channelers', as they called themselves. Each ran toward us with a different threat, or, if we were lucky, an eerie, indistinguishable grumbling.

"Give... me... BLOOD!"

"Be possessed.. with me!"

Even having stocked up thoroughly at the PokeMart, my supplies quickly ran dry. I had called out Poseidon to quicken our progress, but he became paralyzed by Haunter, the evolved form of Gastly, and had spent most of his energy. The enemy Ghost Pokemon used Night Shade, beating Poseidon to within an inch of his life. I shouted angrily as I sent out Kratos to finish the job.

"Why are you attacking us?! I'm trying to help!"

"Calm yourself, child. Come, bring your injured friend into the circle."

I turned to see a channeler, sitting cross-legged within a slightly glowing hemisphere, and I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"And why should I trust you? How do I know you're not an illusion?"

"If I had meant harm toward you, I wouldn't be simply sitting here, would I?"

I recalled Poseidon, reluctantly stepping into the circle and feeling instantly refreshed. My team followed, their strength returning, fully rejuvenated. I sat down, resting briefly.

"What's going on? Who's responsible for this?"

The channeler took a moment before responding, speaking with remarkable calm given the situation.

"The spirits which guard this Tower have been angered by something, though I do not know what. I have a hunch that the men garbed in black uniform are responsible, though."

I knew immediately that Team Rocket was responsible, standing up and rushing out of the barrier, my hatred for the criminals growing as I neared the last staircase.

_'They kill Pokemon, they steal from innocent people, they cheat hundreds out of their hard-earned money, NOW they have to DISTURB A PLACE OF MOURNING?!'_

I halted in my tracks, hearing an ominously eerie voice echo at the foot of the stairs.

"Get out... Or die... Intruders..."

A dark shroud materialized, forming into the shape of a Marowak. I yelled in frustration, narrowly avoiding it's barrage of Bone Clubs.

"It's not me! I'm not the intruder!"

The enraged spirit didn't listen, forcing me to call out Baxter. He was about to attack when the spirit suddenly ceased it's assault, turning toward a quiet whimpering. A lone Cubone peered its head from behind a gravestone, its eyes filled with tears, sniffling. The Marowak moved toward the crying Pokemon, tenderly embracing it before disappearing.

"Thank... you..."

I stood, unsure of what to say before simply nodding my head and rushing up the stairs with Baxter following in my wake.

* * *

I crashed through the doorway at the head of the stairs, drawing the attention of several Rocket grunts.

"Don't come any closer, kid, or this old man dies!"

A cowardly thug had a hostage at the very back of the hall, his whip wrapped around the man's neck. Baxter growled, but I signaled for him to stand down, and he reluctantly obeyed, the Rockets' Pokemon, two Raticates, a Golbat and twin Ekans' moving around me toward him.

"Good to see you have some sense. Now, take off that Silph Scope and hand it over like a good boy."

My eyes darkened, and I took the device off my face, glancing behind the Rocket giving orders outside the window as I held out the contraption to the one nearest me. As soon as it was out of my grasp, the third grunt attacked me, knocking me to the floor. I propped myself up on my elbows, anger clearly visible in my eyes, hearing Baxter being assaulted behind me.

"What good will being able to see Ghosts do you anyway?"

"Isn't it obvious? Ghost Pokemon don't have any weaknesses! That makes them the ultimate fighting machines!"

The two thugs closest to me began taking turns kicking my ribs, knocking me back and forth across the floor. I smirked to myself, despite the pain, gripping their feet and pulling them to the floor. Before the hostage-taker could react, I kicked off one of my shoes and hurled it at him. The Rocket easily sidestepped the projectile, laughing hysterically as his 'buddies' stood up again, resuming the beating as my shoe crashed through the window.

"Get it through your head, brat! You're no hero! You're not going to save anyone!"

I grinned, my eyes dark as Kratos and Starscream crashed in through the window, taking down the lead Rocket and freeing their hostage.

"What the hell?!"

I took advantage of the two grunts' momentary distraction, tossing Jenso's Pokeball behind me as Baxter began to fight back. Two of his five opponents tried to flee, only to be halted by Jenso, grinning evilly as his nostrils flared. I gripped one of the thugs' arms, shoving him back against the wall. The other tried to stop me with his whip, lashing it around my arm. I simply gripped his weapon, yanking him toward me and hurling him into his friend. The lead Rocket reached for his own whip, only to have his hand shredded by Kratos' talons, the old man slowly regaining his footing as I stood over his momentary captor. I pulled him up by his collar, glaring at him furiously.

"No Pokemon deserves to be treated as a TOOL, you heartless bastards. You run home and tell your boss that I won't stand for any of his crap."

I shoved him to the floor, and he begrudgingly fled, his two companions running after him. I turned toward Baxter, kneeling beside him. He was bruised and cut, small droplets of blood trickling from his injuries.

"You okay, Baxter?"

He nodded, pointing with concern at my arm, the whip having left a shallow gash around my wrist.

"I'm fine. You did good."

He chirped agreement, and I glanced behind me toward the old man, having recollected himself and seated himself down.

"Thank you for stopping those criminals. They disturbed the spirits of this Tower, they orphaned a poor little Cubone by killing it's mother, Marowak. I can sense that it's spirit has been calmed now. My name is Mr. Fuji, and for your concern, I feel I must express my gratitude."

I smiled as Kratos perched on my shoulder, Starscream resting beside me.

"No need to thank me. I have a certain grudge against those crooks anyway. What they did here is sickening, and I for one wasn't going to put up with it. Even if I had, these guys would have managed to convince me to stop them. Good work, Kratos, Starscream. Nice save, Jenso."

My team sounded off eagerly, and Mr. Fuji smiled, standing up slowly.

"I'd like to invite you back to my home to recuperate for a bit. I hope you'll accept."

I nodded, but was then reminded of my original reason for returning to Lavender Town, feeling the weight of the Leaf Stone in my pocket.

"I... I have something to do first. I need to pay respects..."

Mr. Fuji smiled empathetically, walking down the stairs while I took a few moments to myself, holding the Leaf Stone in my hand.

* * *

I let out the rest of my team, standing in front of the rows of gravestones, kneeling in front of those who'd I'd lost.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting, there was some business that needed settling. I hope you all can rest a little easier, since Team Rocket's gone now."

Everyone was silent. I placed the Leaf Stone tenderly in front of Gaia's gravestone, tears rolling down my face, smiling sadly.

"I... I've made a lot of progress... I'm halfway to being eligible for the League..."

I clenched my fists, shivering slightly.

"I'm sorry you all aren't here, because of the mistakes I made. I'm sorry that most of you never even lived to be fully grown."

I feel Jenso's hand on my shoulder, and the shivers gradually lessen. Finally, I stand up, slowly walking out of the Tower.

* * *

Mr. Fuji graciously allowed us to stay the night, and as I bring this entry to a close, I am grateful that I have not suffered any more losses today, for the first time since I started this journey. I also feel a little less guilty, knowing that I have at least given those that have passed my respects, and that each victory I gain is just as much theirs as it is ours.


	9. Day 8

Bruce's Log-Day 8

I woke up later than usual today, apparently too much later for our host, Mr. Fuji, because I found a note on the table in his stead, along with a strange flute. The note read as follows-

_Bruce,_

_Although I'm sure you already know, your quest may fail without love for your Pokemon. I'm certain you'll do fine, but to express my gratitude, please accept this small token of appreciation. It is called a Pokeflute, and it will awaken any sleeping Pokemon. May your journey prove fruitful._

_-Mr. Fuji_

I smiled a little, carefully packing the flute before rousing my team. As I walked out of the house, I opened up the map I had gotten from Gary's sister, trying to plan out the best method of getting to the next town. I knew that both routes would be populated by numerous trainers, which is what I was hoping for. I knew that my team was strong, but only half of them were fully evolved, and if I wanted to keep from losing anyone else, they would need to continue growing stronger. I decided that I would travel both routes, so as to gain the most possible battle experience. I folded up the map, and called out Dyno as I started down Route 12. Since the path was consisted almost entirely of docks out over the open ocean, I assumed, correctly, that the majority of the trainers I'd meet would favor water Pokemon, which gave Dyno a huge strategical advantage. I was able to sweep past all trainers I encountered using him alone, until our progress was suddenly halted by an enormous roadblock. I recalled seeing one similar to it blocking the West exit to Celadon, and had to cover my ears as obnoxiously loud snoring echoed from the huge mass. Realizing it was a Pokemon, I produced the Pokeflute and played a short tune. For a moment, nothing happened, then the Pokemon roared, the ground rumbling beneath it as it attacked. Snorlax, as I soon discovered was the creatures name, soon proved too strong for even Jenso to take down, forcing us to flee as it stormed off back to the mountains. Jenso growled fiercely, thoroughly frustrated at having been outmatched. I recalled him, letting out a sigh of relief, though reminded again of how accurate my feelings regarding only half of my team being fully evolved were. I switched out Baxter for the next battle against an electric Pokemon trainer, using Voltorb and Electrode. Baxter easily defeated the Voltorb with a single Slash attack. Then, I felt my pulse skyrocket as the Electrode rolled in for it's turn, its trainer shouting.

"Self-Destruct!"

The explosion was huge, blowing me backwards off my feet. I sat bolt upright, calling out.

"BAXTER!"

I couldn't hear anything for several minutes, the smoke left by the eruption too thick to see through. The ringing in my ears finally lessened, and the dust began to settle, and I vaguely heard Baxter's chirps as he limped toward me.

"Baxter!"

He collapsed, injured, but alive. I rushed over to him, tending to his wounds as best I knew how. The opposing trainer had been knocked unconscious, but I didn't mind missing out on the customary money that came with winning. I was just happy Baxter was alive.

* * *

It wasn't long after that Dyno evolved into Electrode, leaving only Kratos and Jenso left to train to their strongest evolutions. Having traveled Route 12, 13 and 14 to train Dyno, I decided to take a quick break in Fuchsia City. In the Pokemon Center, Jenso tried to convince me to tackle the Gym, eager to vent out his frustration from his battle against Snorlax earlier. Despite his persistence, I refused, and, angered, he retreated into his Pokeball. Sighing, I called out Kratos as I mounted my bike, riding out onto Cycling Road. I groaned, realizing that I had to bike uphill since I was starting from Fuchsia. Before I even started up the incline, I found myself being approached by a relatively small gang of motorcyclists.

"Heheh... Lookie here, we got a little lady wandered out into our turf."

I rolled my eyes as they dismounted, sending out at least a dozen Pokemon. I propped my own bike up on its kickstand, Kratos perching on my outstretched arm. When I saw that they had only an array of Mankeys, Primeapes, Machops and Machokes, I smirked, knowing that Kratos had a huge type advantage over them, as they were all fighting types.

"Listen up, cue balls. I can tell you right now that your Pokemon don't stand a chance against Kratos here."

I grinned, watching as their faces turned livid.

"Say what, you little punk?"

"So here's an offer for you-You get your fat selves back on your scooters and take your Pokemon with you."

I waited to see if my plan would work as they chuckled nervously amongst themselves. I could tell they weren't exactly the brightest group of people, and I knew that they'd be easy to provoke. My idea was that I would make their battle skills sloppy by blinding them with rage, and therefore make it easier for Kratos to take them down single-handed and gain the necessary experience to evolve. Finally, the leader hushed the rest of them, his face red with fury.

"No deal, you little snot-nosed crap. You're quite the comedian, but I think we need to beat the bad jokes outta you! SICK 'IM!"

Kratos took to the skies, while the thugs remounted their motorcycles, speeding past their Pokemon towards me. I called out Starscream and Poseidon, using Supersonic to cause them to collide into one another, while Poseidon blasted them into a neat pile with an explosive Water Gun. By the time I recalled them, Kratos had already defeated each of his opponents, and had evolved into Pidgeot.

"Thanks for the battle experience. Be sure to contact me the next time you want Kratos to give you a thorough beating."

* * *

After finally reaching the top of the incline, I fell off my bike, panting heavily. Before I could even catch my breath, I heard the roar of dozens of motors closing in quickly from all sides.

_'Dammit... Another group of roughnecks?'_

I looked up, only for one of the bikers to smash his boot into my face, knocking me over onto my back, stamping his foot into my chest, knocking all the air out of me.

"Feh. YOU'RE the kid who roughed up our buddies?"

I gritted my teeth as he twisted his heel into my chest. He finally let up, and I craned my neck, my eyes widening. I was completely surrounded, there were probably forty of them, all standing around me, grinning cruelly.

"Get on your feet and fight."

I grunted, propping myself up on my elbows. Impatiently, one of them grabbed me by the collar and lifted into the air, dropping me before planting his fist firmly into my gut. I stumbled backward, listening to his friends laugh obnoxiously. They all produced at least two Pokeballs, all releasing their Pokemon. It was an army, over a hundred of them, not just fighting types either, and most of them were fully evolved. Muks, Machamps, Fearows, Tentacruels, Rhyhorns, Raichus, Golems, Poliwraths, Victreebels...

"SAAUR!"

I turned around to see an enormous Venasuar standing beside the clear leader of the group.

"Your Pokemon too, brat. Send them out."

"Tch..."

I called out my team, and they created a tight circle around me, staring down those they had chosen as their opponents. Jenso growled, spouting flames at the leaders Venusaur.

"Say goodbye to your Pokemon, loser. GET'EM!"

Before I could even shout out a strategy, the fight had begun, the sounds of battle too overwhelming for me to call out to my team. They had paired up all wrong. Kratos was challenging the Raichus and Mangetons, Poseidon was up against the Fearows and Victreebels. Baxter had chosen to fight the Poliwraths and Tentacruels, while Dyno was pitting himself with the Golems and Rhyhorns. Starscream was at least on a fairly level playing field against the Machamps and Muks, but only Jenso was up against an opponent over which he had a strategical advantage. And given the difference in their individual skills and experience, not even that was sufficient. I, meanwhile, found myself being pummeled on all sides by the trainers, the confusion leaving me unable to fight back. Through the mayhem, I saw Kratos being zapped repeatedly, Poseidon being drained of his strength and pecked. Baxter was struggling to maintain a footing while being blasted with gallons of water, Dyno unable to even faze his opponents with his electricity, constantly on the receiving end of every blow. Starscream was barely able to avoid the fists and sludge that was constantly being launched at him.

"JENSO!"

He was the only one of them I couldn't see, until I called out, instantly regretting it. He turned toward the sound of my voice, leaving him open for an intense assault by the Venusaur. Jenso skidded along the ground, weakly pushing himself up, his eyes snapping open when he noticed everyone being beaten. Venusaur shook the ground as it approached, its vines extended, preparing to deliver a finishing attack. I desperately swung my fists wildly, kicking out with my legs furiously, managing to land a few lucky strikes before being beaten back again. Someone smashed their boot into my leg, and I felt the sickening crack of bone breaking, crying out in agony. That was when it happened. First, I forced my eyes open, and I saw Jenso's eyes turn white as Venasaur's vines extended skyward, snapping down forward onto his shoulders. I felt Jenso's fiery rage, his fangs bared, completely unmoving, not even flinching as the vines made impact. Then, everyone stopped, all turning toward Jenso as he released a powerful roar as his body grew several times over. Wings sprouted from his back, his neck extended outward, and his muzzle grew longer. Jenso, evolved into Charizard, unleashed a stream of flames before turning his attention back to Venasaur, gripping its vines. Taking advantage of the distraction, still gripping my leg, I shouted out to my team.

"EVERYONE, SWITCH! KRATOS, TAKE POSEIDON'S PLACE! POSEIDON, TAKE THE GOLEMS AND RHYHORNS! BAXTER, TAKE OVER FOR KRATOS AND KEEP THE MUKS OFF OF STARSCREAM! DYNO, TRADE WITH BAXTER AND TRY TO PICK OFF THE FEAROWS! STARSCREAM, USE CONFUSE RAY ON THE MACHAMPS!"

"You think just because you did your homework that means you can win?"

Someone planted their foot on my head, gradually putting on more and more pressure. Suddenly, they let up, and I looked down to see a shadow looming overhead. Craning my neck up, I saw Jenso with the biker in his claws, the leaders Venasaur having already been thoroughly roasted by his flames. The biker turned white with fear, Jenso's nostrils billowing with smoke, huffing in the thugs face. He dropped the terrified cyclist, whipping his powerful tail around and cracking it into him. The rest of the gang members fled, their Pokemon quickly being defeated by the rest of the team. I felt the pain in my leg suddenly hit me, the adrenalin from all that had happened wearing off.

* * *

I sat bolt upright, waking up in a hospital bed at the Fuchsia Pokemon Center. I quickly fell back onto my pillow as the pain returned, gritting my teeth. I looked around the room, and I saw my team sleeping soundly all around me, Poseidon's lengthy body wrapped around Dyno. Kratos was nested in the bed next to me, having thoroughly shredded the mattress to make himself comfortable. I heard a quiet squeaking above me, and looked up to see Starscream hanging upside down from one of the emergency water pipes just below the ceiling. I felt a slight prickling on my stomach, and noticed Baxter curled up snugly on the bedsheets, sleeping soundly. I heard a low growl, and looked over to see Jenso laying on the floor beside my bed, his eyes opened slightly, smiling lazily. He lifted up the tip of his tail, and showed me how bright and strong the flame was. I nodded tiredly, watching as he closed his eyes again, falling back into slumber. Now, as I close this, the longest of my entries thus far, I'm saddened that I won't be able to continue my journey for a little while, but I feel that my morale has been boosted significantly by having achieved full evolutions for my entire team.


	10. Day 9

Bruce's Log-Day 9

I have to retract the last statement of my previous entry, the bit about being saddened that I wouldn't be able to continue my journey for a while. Being stuck in the Pokemon Center because of my broken leg wasn't saddening-it was _UNBEARABLE_. As helpful and kind as the nurses were, they were specifically trained on the knowledge necessary to treat POKEMON, not people. Aside from that, I was getting fidgety just laying around, as was my team, and by midday, I had had enough, and managed to sneak out with a crutch and a cast with the help of Kratos, who flew me off into the sky after crawling carefully out of a window. As determined as I may have been, however, the pain still drained my stamina quickly, and I had Kratos land back in Celadon. After pausing briefly for food, I limped back West, calling out Jenso as I did so.

"I figured you might want a rematch."

He gave me a puzzled look, but still followed, understanding my meaning when we arrived before the sleeping Snorlax that had been blocking our way days earlier, landing beside it with an eager gleam in his eyes. I sat down nearby, pulling out a Pokeball and the Pokeflute.

"Just remember not to go all out; I'm looking to catch this thing, not barbecue it."

Jenso snorted, but nodded, taking a firm stance as I played a short tune on the flute, rousing the huge Snorlax. The rotund Pokemon growled grouchily, standing up as the first one had. It received a rude realization when it turned in our direction, however, as Jenso was hardly tiny, like most of its unfortunate opponents had probably been. In one, swift motion, Jenso had toppled it backward with a few, strong blows, allowing me to capture it with no resistance. I named him Victor before he was transported to the PC storage system, Jenso roaring triumphantly.

* * *

Nothing of any significance happened the rest of the day, mostly because I was already exhausted after Jenso's battle and Victors successful capture. Reluctantly, I decided to spend the remaining hours of the day in Celadon, to allow my broken bones a short while to knit. I comforted myself by vowing to return to Fuchsia the following day, whether the pain in my leg had lessened or not. I wandered around the city aimlessly, and I smirked, noticing that the casino had gone out of business, feeling a small sense of achievement wash over me.

* * *

I find that now, as I feel sleep gradually approach, that I have no particular thoughts to close with. I suppose I can only hope that tomorrow will restore a little more of my strength, and if not, that my resolve will allow me to push forward regardless.


	11. Day 10

Bruce's Log-Day 10

I awoke at a reasonable hour this morning, though still not as early as I would have preferred. I flew back to Fuchsia, despite the pain in my leg not having lessened in the least. I felt tired by the time Kratos landed down in front of the Fuchsia Gym, but I ignored it, calling out Baxter as I slammed open the gym doors.

"I'm here to challenge the gym leader."

I looked up, but I saw no one to greet me. Instead, there was only smoke, and I barely avoided being cut by a flying ninja star as a voice echoed throughout the building.

"What has the world come to? My challengers were once men, strong, worthy of the challenges that a Pokemon trainer faces. Now, _you_, a mere child, one with a broken leg, no less, is going to challenge me?"

"Don't condescend me. I don't need pity. My name is Bruce, and you're damn right, I challenge you."

From within the smoke, a shadowed figure appeared, garbed like a ninja.

"My name is Koga. As a gym leader, I suppose I must accept your challenge. Although I very much doubt it will be much of a challenge for me."

My temper flared, angered by Koga's condescending arrogance. He called out his first Pokemon, a Koffing, while I simply signaled for Baxter to step forward.

"The first move is yo-"

Baxter K.O.'d the Koffing with his Slash attack before Koga could even complete his statement, his expression of smug confidence shifting as his Pokemon fell to the floor.

"What?!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. How rude of me. I didn't let you finish."

I smirked as Koga sent out his second Pokemon, Muk, his expression one of mild irritation now.

"Feh. A mild fluke. Nothing more than t-"

Once again, Baxter defeated his opponent before Koga was able to finish, the self-proclaimed ninja's face growing red with frustration.

"Impossible! No trainer, ESPECIALLY not a child, could defeat Muk so swiftly!"

I simply smiled to myself, realizing that Koga's condescendence of me was aggravating Baxter as well as I. Koga recalled the sludge Pokemon, forcing himself to calm his nerves.

"Very well, then. Clearly you have a strong run of purely stupid luck. I shall battle you like I would a true trainer, and BREAK that luck."

I chose not to give him the satisfaction of a response, simply rolling my eyes as he called out his third Pokemon, another Koffing.

"Now... We'll see how you do against an invisible enemy. SMOKESCREEN!"

Koffing blasted the room full of black smoke from its pores, leaving me unable to see Koga or Baxter. I coughed violently as the smoke was inhaled into my lungs, listening to the sounds of Baxter's chirps and the swipes of his claws as he tried to find his opponent. I felt something roll into the cast on my right leg, and saw Koga's Koffing unconscious below me.

"That's your third one down, Koga!"

"Idiotic child, you think I did not have a plan?"

His Koffing disappeared, having been recalled, and I felt fear overwhelm me as I looked up through the settling smoke to see the last foe, Weezing, floating not two inches behind Baxter. My throat was too sore from the smoke to call out to Baxter, as Koga called out his command.

"Weezing.. Self-Destruct!"

Baxter turned a millisecond before the twin-headed Pokemon released its explosive attack, the force knocking me to the floor. I sat up, terrified, my voice still too hoarse to call out.

_'No... He was so close to it... Please, Baxter, don't be...'_

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something digging directly below, and I felt surprise and relief lay over me thickly.

"Baxter!"

He turned around and chirped calmly, pulling himself up out of the hole he had made.

"WHAT?! NO! ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE!"

Baxter's quills stood on end as a ninja star landed right in front of his feet, Koga's expression one of extreme anger.

"I REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE ANY SEMBLANCE OF SKILL AS A TRAINER! YOU WILL RECEIVE NO BADGE FROM ME, AND I WILL SEE TO IT THAT THE DAMAGES TO THE FLOORING OF MY GYM IS PAID OUT OF YOUR POCKET! AND DON'T YOU EVEN THINK OF TRYING TO WEASEL OUT OF PAYING, BECAUSE IF YOU DO, I WILL PERSONALLY DESTROY YOUR POKEMON AN-"

I stood up, stopping him mid-sentence by stamping the leg of my crutch into his foot, ramming my fist into his gut, glaring into his eyes with murderous fury as I produced Jenso's Pokeball.

"I'm sorry. Could you repeat that last part? It sounded like you were saying something along the lines of **THREATENING MY TEAM**."

He persisted, smirking smugly.

"Hmph. How like a child to lose your temper when addressing your superiors. Don't you dare try to threaten me, I retain the right to refuse to give you the Soul Badge!"

The floor shook as Jenso appeared behind Koga, his nostrils flaring dangerously.

"You do retain the right to refuse giving me the badge that I deserve, yes. But I know for a fact that the officials of the League won't be happy when I report that you threatened a challenger AND his Pokemon."

Koga's eyes darted behind him to Jenso, his smug smirk wavering, sweat dripping down his face.

"You wouldn't dare."

I shoved him before Jenso's feet, my eyes dark.

"I wouldn't? I've had five of my friends die before getting here, I've defeated four Gym Leaders before I beat you, I've stood up to members of Team Rocket, faced the boss of the organization himself, shut down one of their operations, AND gone toe-to-toe with a gang of bikers 40 strong, with only a broken leg as the price for enabling my team to grow stronger. Knowing all that, you tell me what I would and wouldn't do."

"Tch... Fine. Take it."

He flung the Soul Badge at me. He sneered as I easily caught it, recalling Baxter and Jenso before walking out wordlessly.

* * *

I flew back with Kratos to Celadon to heal Baxter, wanting to avoid causing a disturbance at the Pokemon Center in Fuchsia after having checked myself out the previous day. Figuring that Saffron City held the greatest likelihood of having another gym, I headed East onto Route 7, only to find that there was a checkpoint to get through before you could enter the city. I was surprised to see that there was only one guard, though he did his job pretty well, since no one was there but me and he adamantly refused to let me pass. I was about to give up and leave when he called after me.

"Hey, wait! Do you have anything to drink? I'm parched! I'll let you go through if you let me have some water."

I briefly wondered why he was suddenly so willing to compromise, but thought little of it since it meant I would be able to battle the sixth Gym Leader. After giving him one of my water bottles, he let me go through. I didn't know it at the time, but he was actually a Rocket grunt in disguise, specifically one of the thugs I had beaten at Pokemon Tower. He locked the checkpoint building doors behind me, though I was still unaware of it. The Rocket grunt pulled out his communicator, speaking into it.

"Put me through to the Boss..."

"This had better be good. I'm very busy right now."

"You'll never guess who I just let into the city..."


	12. Day 11

Bruce's Log-Day 11

"...just dunno how I feel about drowning a kid."

"You don't need to know how you feel about it. Just toss in the stupid weight."

I awoke as a victim of theft. I had been robbed of my crutch, my leg cast, my Pokeballs, and with them, my Pokemon, and the comfort of knowing where I was. The only thing I had received in exchange for all this was a dull pain in my neck, wincing slightly as I tried to look around, to remember the previous day. The last memory I had was walking into Saffron City, but I felt like there should be more, but my mind was hazy and groggy, my vision was blurry.

"Wha-?"

"Damn, the sedative's worn off..."

I felt something gripping my chest like an iron vice, I was unable to move my hands, they were shackled behind me. My vision slowly started to focus, I was able to make out three dark-colored figures, one kneeling down near me.

"Well, look who decided to wake up. It's rude to keep old acquaintances waiting, don't you know?"

I recognized the face of one of the Rocket grunts I had beaten in Lavender Town, but I was still groggy, unable to piece together a sensible thought in my mind. All I could do was groan incoherently, listening to him talk.

"Since we're such good friends, I'll let you know what's going to happen to you and your 'team' before you die. It'll give you some comfort in the next life to know that your buddies will be joining you."

"Man, you're freaking me out with that kinda talk. Quit it, would you?"

"For once, I'm on his side. And don't go blabbing to the kid about our plans."

The smug face turned frustrated for a moment, and I couldn't hear him as he turned to the other two with him, shouting. I struggled to hang onto his words, to help me stay conscious.

"Where he's going, there won't be anyone to tell. Besides, he knows what a nice guy I am, don't you, kid?"

"J-jenso..."

"Here's the summary of how you got screwed over; You walked into the wrong city, we recognized you from the Pokemon Tower incident. The Boss got your message from us, and he wants you out of the way, so you're going to have a burial at sea. As for your Pokemon, they'll live a little while longer, until they've fulfilled the Boss' purposes."

"I won't... let you.. h-hurt them..."

The Rocket grunt laughed, lifting up the weight that was chained to my body, dragging me to the edge of the docks just South of Lavender.

"You don't have a choice, brat."

The weight fell into the water, jerking me down with it. I felt the grogginess slowly fade, the water restoring clarity to my thoughts. I struggled against the weight, my lungs on fire, having already inhaled water. I tried to breathe, tried to kick with my legs, but the pain in my right leg was too great, the surface of the water rising higher and higher above me. I felt myself start to fall into unconsciousness, vaguely aware of the water's surface being broken by something, diving down toward me. My eyes closed, I felt the dull relief of the weights burden being lifted, something was dragging me back to the surface. I struggled to open my eyes before puking up the water I had inhaled, exhaustion pulling me back into darkness as I heard a familiar voice.

"Good work, Teixeira..."

* * *

I woke up gasping for air, sitting bolt upright and throwing up again, panting heavily.

"Well, that's pleasant."

I looked up, my voice hoarse and dry from dehydration.

"Mr. Foogee?"

"Slow down, my friend. Here, drink some water."

I took the glass from him, sipping on it slowly as I looked around, recognizing the guest bedroom of Mr. Fuji's house.

"What happened to the Rockets?"

"They're gone, Bruce."

I lay back against the pillows, trying to ignore the pain in my right leg.

"How did I get here?"

"That young man brought you here. I recognized you when he was passing by, and he left you in my care. Said his name was Gary, I believe. Are you familiar with him?"

I nodded, my thoughts wandering.

"Since we were kids. I appreciate your hospitality, but I have to get back to Saffron City. One of the Rockets said they-"

I stopped mid-sentence, reaching for the Pokeballs at my waist subconsciously, and kicking off the bedsheets, remembering that they had been stolen, my mind racing.

"They have my team! Jenso! I need to find them! They're-"

I fell to the floor, unable to support myself because of my broken leg, Mr. Fuji hurrying to my side.

"You can't do anything for them now, not in the state you're in."

I pulled myself up, gritting my teeth as pain shot up from my leg. Suddenly, I was knocked back to the floor.

"TRODE!"

I looked up to see Dyno, grinning down at me, rolling off of my chest as I sat up.

"Dyno! You're okay!"

"I don't understand... This is your Pokemon?"

I nodded, smiling at him, a small relief welling up within me.

"Yes. How did he get here?"

Mr. Fuji looked utterly confused, sitting down on the bed.

"He was given to me just this morning. A man, garbed in black, gave his Pokeball to me. He said that he wanted me to take care of it. When I asked if it was an orphan, he said it might as well be."

I realized that one of the Rocket grunts must have been tasked with disposing of Dyno, and, for whatever reason, had chosen to leave him with Mr. Fuji.

"I didn't recognize that it was the same Voltorb that was with you."

"Well, whatever. Having him with me will make finding the others that much easier. I have to get to Saffron either way."

Mr. Fuji looked at me with a blank expression, shifting his gaze between me and Dyno before standing up and walking toward the doorway.

"I'm sure I can convince the Pokemon Center to spare you a pair of crutches."

"Thank you..."

* * *

Within an hour, I was ready, having managed to find my bag of items near the docks, I thanked Mr. Fuji for his kindness and began walking West, Dyno rolling beside me.

"We'll start looking in Saffron. But we've got to be sure to move quietly. They've taken over the entire city, and they'll kill our teammates if we storm in."

Dyno's electricity crackled around him, clearly infuriated as I was.

"Don't worry. Once we find everyone, I plan to cause some serious mayhem. That's where you come in."

Dyno was clearly eager for such a task, quieting himself as we neared the Eastern checkpoint into the city. I peered in through the windows, seeing only one guard, as there had been last time. I whispered to Dyno, signaling for him to wait just outside the entrance, kneeling down under the window and smashing it with my crutch.

"The hell?"

I heard an alarm go off, signaling for Dyno to rush in. I heard the sounds of electricity, and rushed in, switching off the alarm. I turned toward the beaten guard, who was barely conscious, his communicator bleeping.

"Eastern Post, you are showing a triggered alarm. What's your status?"

I pressed the foot of my crutch into his chest, whispering through gritted teeth.

"You repeat what I say word for word, or else Dyno fries you."

He squeaked, nodding and switching on his communicator.

"False alarm, it was just a couple of kid pranksters messing around with rocks. It's all clear here."

"Alright then. Carry on. Out."

The disguised Rocket trembled, clearly much more cowardly than the others.

"H-how are you alive? I saw them carry you out!"

I snatched the communicator from him, knocking him out cold by cracking my crutch into his neck.

"Not your concern, trash."

* * *

I moved as quickly and quietly as I could, having recalled Dyno to decrease the likelihood of being seen. I darted between buildings, careful to avoid being spotted by several Rockets guarding various buildings around the city. I noticed two Gyms situated directly beside one another, though only one had a guard outside of it. I heard shouting from the smaller of the two buildings, sneaking past the guard and slipping behind the smaller Gym, pressing my ear against the wall, listening intently.

"Try anything funny again and next time your Pokemon won't be so lucky! None of you stand a chance against flying types anyway! Get it through your head!"

"Why are you so interested in this city? Why have you come into our Dojo, starting trouble?!"

"We don't care about your Pokemon, blockhead. The Boss wants everyone in this city accounted for and kept under control! That means no funny business, understand?!"

_'Gotta find a way to move around more freely. I'm gonna get caught if I have to keep sneaking around like this.'_

I walked around to the other Gym, peering around the corner at the guard outside the door. I withdrew back, kneeling down to pick up a stone, hurling it out around the corner toward the guard.

"Gah!"

I flattened myself against the outer wall, listening to his footsteps as he walked toward me, waiting for him to round the corner.

"Alright, game over, chump, come on ou-"

I didn't let him finish, gripping the back of his neck and mashing his face against the wall, knocking him out and letting him fall to the ground. Moments later, I was tucking my clothes away into my bag, dressed in the unconscious grunts uniform, walking over to the entrance of the Fighting Dojo, my eyes widening when I recognized Kratos and Starscream. Both of them had strange collars around their necks, and they were standing over the Dojo's trainers and their Pokemon.

"What the hell happened to you?"

The Rocket that had taken over the Dojo had turned toward me, pointing to my crutches. My mind raced, thinking up an explanation.

"Some punk wandering around got the jump on me. Busted my leg, but I took care of him."

The criminal looked at me briefly before shrugging and turning around as I raised the leg of one of my crutches up, swinging it down into his neck and knocking him out cold. A remote dropped out of his hand, and a switch flipped, the collars on Kratos and Starscream zapping them.

"Hang on!"

I smashed the device, deactivating their collars.

"What the hell is this?!"

One of the Dojo trainers stood up, the others quickly following, their eyes filled with anger. I raised up my hands, briefly confused as even Kratos and Starscream turned toward me furiously before I pulled the black hat off of my head, revealing my face.

"Wait! I'm not with them!"

My Pokemon let out simultaneous chirps of surprise before collapsing from exhaustion, and I limped over to them, struggling to break their collars.

"I do not understand... Who are you?"

I looked up to see the leader of the Dojo looking down at me, a mixture of confusion, relief and rage on his face.

"My name is Bruce. I'm a Pokemon trainer. These two belong to me, Kratos and Starscream. I know they attacked you, but I swear, they weren't doing it of their own free will. These collars were shocking them, making them do Team Rockets' dirty work."

The Dojo leader's face was blank, pausing before nodding and bowing, followed by the rest of the trainers.

"You appear truthful, Bruce. I thank you, and I extend my forgiveness. I may not know what your intentions are, but I shall aid you in whatever way I can."

I managed to break the collars, recalling Kratos and Starscream before pushing myself to my feet, leaning on one of my crutches.

"No need to thank me. I do have a small favor to ask, though. I'm here to find my team of Pokemon, which were stolen from me. Have you seen anyone with a Charizard, Sandslash or a Gyarados in the past few hours?"

"I am sorry to say that I have not. I do know that they have based their operations in the Silph Company Tower. I am sorry I cannot be of more help. Wait! I have had a thought!"

The Dojo leader rushed to the back of the building, returning with two Pokeballs, one in each hand.

"Take one of these Pokemon with you. They may prove useful to you in finding your friends. Normally, they are only given to those who have defeated the Dojo trainers, however, after seeing what your two Pokemon can do, I already know that you are capable of it. The left one holds Hitmonlee, which specializes in kicking. The right one holds Hitmonchan, which specializes in punching."

"Oh no, I really can't accept-"

"Please, I insist."

I smiled a little, picking out the left Pokeball. I nicknamed the Hitmonlee Sanji. Suddenly, the communicator of every Rocket in the city rang with their leaders' voice.

"Attention, members of Team Rocket. This is your leader, Giovanni, speaking. It seems there will be a slight delay in our operation here. I have with me the vice president of the company, however, it seems she does not have the authority to give us the product we so desire. The president himself is required for such an exchange, although it appears he is in another region conducting business. Of course, we possess the incentive he needs to make some slight changes in his plans. The president will be returning to Saffron City at 1 PM tomorrow afternoon. We shall be occupying the city for the duration until his arrival. Therefore, all of you will, as politely as possible, take quarters within the building at which you are positioned. That will be all."

I felt anger flare up within me again, though I forced myself to quell it, choosing to wait until after the presidents arrival to make my move.

* * *

I spent the remaining time of the day gathering the Rocket members I had beaten and getting them situated within the Fighting Dojo, knowing they would receive the treatment they deserve. As I close this log entry, I still have to use enormous willpower to restrain myself from taking action early, my hatred for these criminals growing even further the longer I keep it held back.


	13. Day 12

Bruce's Log-Day 12

_'Finally... Morning.'_

I was awake along with the sun, having awaited its shining light for many hours. I didn't sleep much at all the previous night, at most two hours, yet I didn't feel tired or sleepy in the slightest. All I felt was the pain in my right leg, the anger in my heart, and the anxiety and concern for the rest of my team in my mind. I had tried to make some semblance of a plan during the painfully long hours of the previous night, but each attempt only ended up being too intricate or having too many holes in it, and would always be scrapped. I had finally given up on planning out anything aside from two destinations that hopefully would allow me to find the rest of the team. First and foremost, I had to find a way into the Pokemon Center. Kratos and Starscream had gone the entire night without proper treatment after their abuse at the hands of Team Rocket. Dyno, though he hadn't yet fought much, most likely needed to heal too, which meant Sanji was the only Pokemon I had with me that was completely fresh and at full stamina. I gripped his Pokeball in my hand as I limped out of the Fighting Dojo, having decided that my crutches would make me stand out too much, and coming up with the excuse of a chronically bum leg should anyone question me about it. The pain was excruciating, but I was too concerned with my the well-being of my Pokemon to care, and I just gritted my teeth, moving as casually as possible towards the Saffron Pokemon Center. As I rounded a corner, I noticed a pair of Rockets walking toward the same building, listening intently to their conversation.

"...finally figure how to get rid of that thing."

"How's that?"

"Lethal injection. I dunno about you, but that Gyarados freaks me out even if it is restrained."

My spirits and temper soared simultaneously at the mention of Poseidon. My first instinct was to tackle the two thugs, but my leg kept me from moving any faster than a hurried limp, and I knew that it'd only put the others in greater danger if I were to alert more Rockets to my presence than was absolutely necessary. I forced myself to keep from getting too close, following with just enough distance to let them burst into the Pokemon Center as I neared the entrance, pressing myself against the wall and peering around the open doorway inside.

"LISTEN UP! WE GOT BUSINESS REGARDING THAT GYARADOS WE DROPPED OFF YESTERDAY! SO IT BETTER STILL BE HERE, OR SOMEONE'S GOING TO END UP WITH A MISSING LIMB!"

I ducked back behind the wall, my pulse racing as I heard them order one of the nurses to prepare the lethal injection. I called out Sanji, whispering to him as I peered into the building again.

"I need you to take out the two Rockets in there. You'll have to move as quickly as possible, to keep them from raising any alarms. Can you do that?"

Sanji nodded, leaping into the building and knocking both grunts out with a single kick, as I rushed past the counter to the back room as fast as my broken leg would allow. The nurse was trembling, the needle drawing closer to Poseidon's skin, and I dashed, causing her to scream, mistaking me for a Rocket.

"NO!"

I smacked the needle out of her hand, turning as it shattered against the floor, my eyes wild as two more Rockets came in from the upper level.

"What the hell?!"

"RAAAAHH!"

I leapt with my left leg toward the thug nearest me, smashing my forehead into his. The second grunt tried to flee, reaching for his communicator. I don't know how I managed to catch him, but I did, pulling him down to the ground and ramming my fist into his face, leaving him unconscious. I panted heavily, falling back down against the ground, too preoccupied with the pain in my leg to say anything to the nurse as she ran out of the room, stopped only by Sanji as he stepped through the doorway.

"Poseidon..."

I looked over to him, ignoring the nurses terrified sobs, dragging myself towards him, smiling at his half-open eyes, quiet growls coming from his slackened jaws.

"It's me, Bruce. I know I'm not dressed like I usually am, but it's really me. I'm here, they're not going to hurt you anymore."

I took off the black gloves, reaching my hand cautiously towards him, my eyes watering with relief to see that he was safe. He growled, telling me that he recognized the feeling of my hand, before his eyes closed again, his breathing growing steady as he slept again. I turned to see the nurse, despite still crying, had walked over to me, and she started when I looked up at her.

"I'm sorry we scared you, but you have to believe me, I'm not with them."

She nodded, extending her hand, offering me a key.

"I-I believe you. This is the key to his chains... I'm sorry, they made me keep him drugged. They took all the medical staff and only let us out in shifts."

I took the key, pulling myself up, pressing against the wall to which Poseidon was linked for support. I walked along his long body, unlocking the giant steel cuff around him, though I was unable to remove it from under his body. I fell back onto the floor, gritting my teeth, my leg burning with agony.

"What's wrong?"

"My leg.. Don't worry about me, I need you to do something."

I withdrew my Pokeballs from my waistband, handing them to her.

"My team... The ones I've managed to find so far, anyway. They need to be healed. Please..."

The nurse looked at me for a few moments before nodding and walking back out of the room, Sanji moving around her towards me. The fighting Pokemon stood in place, staring down at me, waiting for a new task.

"Sanji, go upstairs and find the rest of the medical staff. Get them to help her with the others. After that, round up the trash and put them all together. Make sure they don't cause trouble for us if they wake up."

Sanji bowed and rushed off to fulfill his new objective, as I backed myself up against the wall, waiting for Poseidon to wake up.

* * *

It was almost 11 before I was ready to continue the search, having had to fend off dozens of nurses who constantly insisted that I stay and get a fresh casting for my leg. I had Sanji stay behind in the Pokemon Center, having told him to make sure to keep the unconscious Rockets in check and take out any others unfortunate enough to look for the missing men. I still had a couple hours before the President arrived, but I didn't know where else to look for Baxter and Jenso other than the Silph building. I was wandering as nonchalantly as possible around the Western end of the city. Having no leads as to where to look next, I was acting as a patrol and making sure that none of the other Rockets grew overly suspicious, when I heard Baxter's anguished cry. It echoed across the city from the Eastern side, and I moved behind a house, my anger flaring up again, seeing Baxter being blasted from all sides by powerful streams of water. He was surrounded by five Rockets, each holding a hose, laughing cruelly as they took turns spraying him.

"Ha-HA! And here you guys were giving me crap for not getting rid of this puny guy sooner!"

"Heh, I have to admit, watching him squirm never gets old."

"Bad luck for you, you spiny rat!"

They kept laughing, and I felt my body shake with murderous rage, the only thing holding me back from jumping in to save him being that I hadn't yet found Jenso. I called out Dyno, whispering to him.

"I need you to be fast here... I'm going to recall Baxter, and when I do, you'll have to trade places with him and knock all of them out at once. Got it?"

Dyno merely grinned, clearly eager to get his fair share in the action. It all happened in a second-Baxter disappeared from the circle, Dyno was in his place within seconds, and then a brief flash of electricity zapped all five of the Rockets. Several other Rocket members rushed out to find their allies unconscious, though Dyno was already back within his Pokeball, and I was already gone, moving toward the Pokemon Center just as the Silph company president's chopper landed in Saffron.

* * *

Minutes later, I was inside, having changed out of my disguise and back into my normal clothes, having slipped inside moments after the president was 'escorted' in. I limped down the halls of the first floor, hiding behind cover whenever a patrolling Rocket passed by. I ducked in through one of the few unlocked doors, narrowly avoiding being seen by another guard. As he passed by, I noticed that several employees, all still in the clothes they had worn to work days ago, looking at me, probably too scared to scream. I approached one of them slowly, speaking quietly.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone... Well, no one aside from _them_ that is. I need to get into the locked rooms to find a friend. Does one of you...?"

"Please, just take the card key and go away..."

I felt sadness at how scared they were, and even greater fury toward the Rockets for treating them in such a way, thanking them for the key before limping back out again.

* * *

I searched every room on every floor, taking down every Rocket I saw on the way up the building, my hatred towards these criminals too fiery, too wild to be restrained any longer. It took hours, and it was actually past 11 PM by the time I reached the tenth floor. I was high on the rush of adrenalin, my broken leg barely slowing me down, my lack of sleep having only the slightest effect.

"I tell ya to stay outta trouble, and you go and LOOK for it!"

I turned to see Gary, of all people, at the foot of the stairs to the top floor, Teixeira beside him.

"Gary? What're you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, B. You don't have any reason to go provoking Team Rocket. I dunno why they were trying to drown you before, but believe me, whatever grudge you have isn't worth it."

I felt a fresh flash of rage erupt within me, limping toward him slowly.

"Do I really need a reason, Gary? They kill and abuse Pokemon and people alike, they steal from innocents, they don't give a second thought to disturbing a sacred place of mourning, they STEAL Pokemon from their TRAINERS!"

Gary's expression didn't change, his eyes dark.

"I know. That's why I'm putting a stop to it. You don't need to get involved. You're just gonna get hurt again."

I glared furiously, Teixeira growling defensively.

"I don't need you to protect me. They STOLE my TEAM from me! JENSO'S AT THEIR MERCY, GARY, AND IF I DON'T FIND HIM, THEY'RE GONNA KILL HIM!"

Gary suddenly snapped, shoving me to the floor, shouting angrily.

"IS HIS LIFE THAT MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN MY RATICATES, BRUCE?! IS IT?!"

I was shocked into silence, and we stood there for several moments before Gary brushed his eyes with his arm, recalling Teixeira.

"Get up. We're gonna battle for it."

I weakly pulled myself to my feet, my anger turned to shame, shame at having forgotten that I wasn't the only one who had suffered loss.

"Gary.. Don't. I didn't know they were the ones who-"

"WELL, THEY WERE, BRUCE, THEY SURE AS HELL WERE! NOW CALL OUT YOUR POKEMON AND FIGHT ME! FIGHT ME FOR THE RIGHT TO TAKE THEM DOWN!"

I knew I wouldn't be able to reason with him, having known him for too long, so, although I was ashamed to do so, I battled him. And I beat him. I could see his disappointment as he started to walk away, his guilt at not being able to personally avenge his fallen friend.

"Gary... They took some of my friends, too."

He stopped just before the elevator, and I could tell that he was feeling how I felt.

"...Which of them was it?"

"What?"

"Who did they take?"

I realized what he meant, and I felt the old wounds open up as I said their names.

"Athena and Ares... A Butterfree and Pidgey. Both of them were killed by the same man."

Again, silence took over, then, suddenly, he flung a small vial toward me, opening the elevator doors.

"Drink that for your leg. It'll help it heal faster."

He walked into the elevator, throwing up a peace sign as the doors closed.

"Smell ya later..."

* * *

I felt the effects of the medicine take hold almost immediately, walking with only a slight limp as I reached the top of the stairs, looking up to see a single door between me and Giovanni. I suddenly shuddered and hurried forward, hearing Jenso's pained outcry. But it wasn't quite right, it was muffled, somehow... I heard the sounds of Jenso being beaten, almost feeling every blow that he took, knowing that he was restrained. I heard Giovanni's Kangaskhan's grunts as it punched Jenso again and again, I heard quiet sobbing of a woman, the vice president.

"All right, Giovanni! You've made your point! Please, cease this madness! I'll give you whatever you want, just, please, for the love of God, stop abusing that poor Pokemon!"

"You heard the good man, Kangaskhan. That will do."

I felt my blood boil at the mere sound of his voice. I felt more of Jenso's pain as he struggled against his chains, his roar broken and muffled. I heard swift footsteps, then felt my heart being weighed down even more at the sound of constant kicking. I tried to open the door repeatedly, but the card key kept registering as invalid.

"You stupid, stupid creature! You don't get it, do you, you ugly brute?! You've nothing to fight for! Your precious trainer is _DEAD_!"

I felt Jenso's heart shatter, his valiant struggles against his restraints suddenly ceasing.

"Feh. Pathetic. Idiotic creature thinks it actually knows what loyalty is. Now that it knows its trainer is dead, it has no will to live. And any living thing that lacks such a thing deserves to be put out of my misery. Nidoqueen, finish this pitiful excuse for a Charizard."

I heard the sound of Nidoqueen charging Jenso, I felt his lack of strength as I ordered Poseidon to blast open the door, shouting at the top of my lungs as I charged toward Giovanni.

"JEEEEEEEENNNNNSSSOOOOOOOOOO!"


	14. Day 13

Bruce's Log-Day 13

The clocks rang 12:01 AM. And I crashed into Giovanni. The floor shook as Nidoqueen continued it's attack, unable to stop. And I felt Jenso's inner flame rekindle. The vice president and the presidents outcries were both overwhelmed by the sounds of battle. And I felt Jenso break his chains free from the wall, halting Nidoqueens advance. I smashed my fist into Giovanni's face, and he gripped my arm, flipping me off of him as he stood, shouting in disbelief.

"IMPOSSIBLE! THOSE CHAINS ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO STOP A LOCOMOTIVE! AND YOU, YOU DROWNED! MY ROCKETS CONFIRMED IT!"

I jumped back onto my feet, yelling orders to my team as I launched another attack on Giovanni.

"BAXTER! TAKE OUT THE NIDORINO AND THEN BACK UP JENSO! TRY TO CUT OFF HIS CUFFS! POSEIDON, STARSCREAM, TAKE DOWN RHYHORN! KRATOS, DYNO, TAKE CARE OF HIS KANGASKHAN!"

I felt my fist being gripped in his, and cried out as he flipped me over his back and smashed me down into the floor.

"You stupid, damned child! I will not allow you to ruin this for me! Not like you did in Celadon! Not again, you damn pest! YOU WILL NOT INTERFERE AGAIN! KEEP YOUR NOSE OUT OF MATTERS THAT DON'T CONCERN YOU!"

I gripped his foot as he tried to stamp down on my head, pulling him down to the ground perpendicular to me. He caught himself on his hands, kicking me until I let go of him. I didn't let him get up again, lunging onto his back, his face smashing into the floor.

"DON'T CONCERN ME?! YOUR MEN KILLED TWO OF MY TEAM, AND ANOTHER OF ONE OF MY FRIENDS'! YOU TRIED TO DROWN ME, YOU STOLE MY POKEMON, AND YOU WERE GOING TO HAVE THEM ALL KILLED WHEN YOU WERE DONE USING THEM! WHAT PART OF THAT _DOESN'T_ CONCERN ME, YOU TWISTED **BASTARD**?!"

He swung his elbow into my side, knocking me off his back. He stood up, only to find himself cornered, my team having utterly defeated his, Jenso's mouth dripping blood, steamy smoke flaring from his nostrils. I stood up, watching his face start to sweat, his eyes filled with rage.

"It's over, Giovanni. You've lost again."

He was seething, hissing at me through gritted teeth.

**"You... damn... pest! When next we meet, it will be different. You won't be lucky a third time. Goodbye."**

"NO, STOP! DAMMIT!"

He threw up another smoke bomb, and crashed through the window of the building, catching onto a waiting helicopter. I ran towards him, narrowly avoiding falling out. I cursed at him angrily, watching with enormous fury as he vanished from sight. I turned around to face the vice/president, and suddenly my lack of sleep struck me, all my exhaustion piling down on me at once. I started to fall backwards out the window, saved only by Jenso's tail taking hold of my arm, pulling me in towards him. I was unconscious before I even hit the floor.

* * *

When I finally opened my eyes again, I was back in the Pokemon Center, my bed surrounded by nurses. I felt unnaturally groggy, looking down the length of the bed to see the company president and the Dojo master standing just outside.

"Where... Jen-soh... Cray-tos... Baks-tur... My teem..."

My voice was weak and tired, and I was asleep again before I even got an answer.

* * *

I woke up again later that night, turning to see the company president sitting beside my bed.

"Ah. Thank goodness. I was getting concerned. How are you feeling?"

I sat up slowly, my tone still tired.

"Better, thank you... Team Rocket.. are they..?"

"They're gone, at least, most of them. Those that were left behind are being handled as we speak, don't you worry. I wanted to somehow express my appreciation for saving me and my employees from that horrible man."

I shook my head weakly, smiling a little.

"I don't want anything.. I was just trying to save my friends."

The president's eyes beamed, producing a strange Pokeball from his pocket.

"This is what he was after. It's a prototype of our Master Ball product. I must insist that you have it, if for no other reason than I know that it will be used properly in your hands."

I reluctantly accepted, exhaustedly admiring the design of it.

"I feel so inappropriate to ask you this, but... Could I trouble you to do one small favor for me?"

I managed to nod my head, and he withdrew another, regular Pokeball, releasing from it a baby Lapras.

"My son... was a trainer once, he was just like you. He passed away a few years ago, and left behind this poor little Lapras without anyone to care for it. I try to do my best, but it would be so much better off with a real trainer to tend to it. Would you..?"

I answered before he could even finish, stroking her neck softly.

"I'd be happy to."

The president smiled, leaving her Pokeball on my bedside and starting out the door.

"Sir? Could you ask the nurses to do something for me, please?"

He turned back to me.

"Of course, son. Anything you need."

"Could you have them bring the rest of my Pokemon here into my room with me? I want to see them..."

He beamed again, bowing his head.

"Absolutely. I'll see to it."

"Thank you..."

With that, he walked out of the room, and I lay back against the pillows, smiling up at my newest friend.

"Welcome to the crew, Glacia..."


	15. Day 14

Bruce's Log-Day 14

I woke up before most of Saffron, my team sleeping all around my bed. As much as I would've liked to sleep a while longer, I felt that I needed to complete my last objective in the city before allowing myself to rest. I was worried that if I allowed myself to stay in bed all day, my resolve would only grow weaker, and I'd eventually be unable to continue my journey for fear of losing my team. Still, it was good to have them back, so I decided to let them continue sleeping while I dressed and recalled Glacia and Sanji, walking downstairs to transfer Glacia into the PC storage system. I was surprised to see the Dojo master sitting near the PC, waiting for me.

"Ah, good to see you have recovered so well and swiftly, my young friend. I had meant to visit you yesterday, but the doctors and nurses absolutely refused, and I had to return to the Dojo."

"It's fine. I saw you waiting outside briefly. I appreciate the concern, but I'm okay. Thank you again for lending me Sanji, he was very dutiful."

I extended my hand out, offering Sanji's Pokeball, but he shook his head, smiling.

"I gave him to you to keep, Bruce. Sanji is yours to look after now."

"I can't take him! I didn't even battle you yet, not really! I-"

He stood, clapping his hand on my shoulder.

"Bruce, as far as I'm concerned, you are the most capable trainer I have ever had the fortune to meet. It has been so very long since I've met someone as dedicated to the well-being of their Pokemon as you are. It would be my honor if you were to allow Sanji to continue battling with you."

I was speechless, and merely nodded, and he laughed as I transferred Glacia and Sanji into the PC storage system.

"But, coming to see you is only half of my reason for being here. I know that you must have originally come here to take on the Gym leader."

"That's right. Do you know them?"

His face turned serious, nodding grimly.

"She is merely a girl, probably no older than you are, in fact. She claims to dislike fighting, but I have seen her true face before. Sabrina, the Saffron Gym leader, is absolutely brutal in combat!"

"True face? What do you mean?"

He shuddered, and his face went pale, clearly traumatized by the memory.

"I built the Dojo here with the intent of making it the city's Gym, but then I heard that there was already one. I challenged her, even though I knew the risks of sending a fighting type against a psychic type, I still foolishly challenged her. Her Alakazam, it was ruthless. She killed my oldest friend, my Primeape, grown alongside me from when he was a Mankey. That is why I'm here, Bruce, to tell you to be careful. There are said to be ghost Pokemon, with the capability to utterly destroy psychic types, but no such thing exists in this region of the world..."

* * *

I was slightly unnerved by the Dojo master's story, but I knew I couldn't back down. Even knowing how merciless she was, something within me was compelled, eager even, to fight Sabrina. I stood before the Gym doors, calling out my team.

"I know you're all exhausted after having just been rescued, but this Gym is the last obstacle we need to face here in Saffron. I'll understand if there are any of you that don't want to fight, but I can't do this alone."

Jenso, of course, being one with extreme pride in his battling skills, stepped forward immediately, releasing an eager roar. I smiled up at him, knowing that he had suffered the worst beating out of everyone at the hands of Team Rocket. Yet, even despite that fact, he was completely willing to follow me anywhere. I wondered if part of his eagerness may have been related to how I felt his heart shatter when Giovanni told him I was dead, and maybe he was trying to keep from having to experience that feeling a second time. The rest of my team, however, were all still too sleepy, most of them dozing on the ground. It was then that the first unusual thought came to me.

_'They have no place being so disobedient! I'll force them to fight if they won't do so willingly!'_

I shook my head, feeling slightly dizzy and wondering what had come over me.

_'What am I thinking?! What's wrong with me? I sound like Giovanni!'_

I continued feeling an unusual compelling feeling to battle, but I couldn't fight with only Jenso.

"Listen, I know it's rough, and I don't want to push any of you too hard. But I promise, once we're done here, we'll all go back home."

They perked up at this, chirping eagerly, particularly Jenso, clearly anxious to return and see his previous owner, Professor Oak.

"Alright, everyone. Let's do this!"

* * *

"I'm here to challenge Sabrina, the Saffron Gym leader!"

As soon as I entered, the doors swung shut behind me, and all the lights in the Gym went out, leaving me in complete darkness.

"The hell-?"

A single light appeared, revealing a dark-haired girl no taller than me, just as the Dojo master had described. Her voice echoed around me, and suddenly, the Gym was relit, except we were on the ceiling, as if gravity had suddenly been altered. I had to grip my hat to keep it from falling off, Sabrina's voice echoing throughout the Gym.

"I am Sabrina. I have foreseen your arrival, Bruce of Pallet Town."

"How do you know my name?!"

"There is no need to shout. Think of this as a preliminary challenge, if you will. This allows me to test the courage and willpower of my challengers."

I smirked, another unusual thought coming to me, except this time, I spoke it.

"Why accept challengers that are too weak to even get past a simple qualifying test, right?"

She smiled eerily, and suddenly, the room began to spin, distorting the walls behind her. I did a double-take, and the walls behind me were swirling too.

"Correct. Although, after having seen your victory against Team Rocket, I must say this feels unnecessary."

I had to focus on her to keep from getting sick or falling over from the spinning.

"Don't count me as better than other challengers just because of something like that! I have a hunch I'm not the first challenger from Pallet Town you've met today! And I'm willing to bet _he_ beat you! He fought against Team Rocket too!"

Her unsettling smile didn't waver or shift, the spinning intensifying, and I felt myself sway slightly.

"Oh, did he really? I never would have guessed, based off of how easily he lost against me."

I was taken aback by this, falling back onto the floor as the spinning suddenly ceased, and we were back on the floor of the Gym. I heard Sabrina laugh, and I felt almost insulted that she had been able to make me lose my footing. I calmed myself though, and smirked as I stood, chuckling.

"You're lying. I can tell. Gary wouldn't lose to mind games, I know how strong he is."

I felt another thought suddenly appear in my mind, disappearing again just as quickly as the others had.

_'But he did lose to me.. She may have actually...'_

I shook my head again, frustrated with myself for letting doubt creep into my thoughts. Sabrina produced a Pokeball, calling out a Kadabra.

"You have passed the preliminary test, but just barely. Let us begin the real battle."

I withdrew Poseidon's Pokeball, but when I called him out, I saw Kratos appear instead.

_'What?! That can't be right! I always keep them in the same order on my belt!'_

I blinked, and suddenly I saw Poseidon, as I had initially expected. I felt sweat run down my face, and Sabrina's weird smile grew wider.

"What's wrong? You don't look so well."

"I'm fine! Make the first move!"

_'Am I going insane?! What the hell was that just now?!'_

"Kadabra, confusion!"

I didn't have time to ponder what I had seen, as the battle began.

* * *

The strange visions only got worse as we fought. By the time her second Pokemon, Mr. Mime, appeared, and I recalled Poseidon, sending out what I knew was Kratos, not only did I see a different Pokemon, Dyno, but I also suddenly saw an ocean beneath us instead of a floor. It took longer than before to shake it off, and another abnormal doubt appeared in my head, lingering this time instead of just briefly occupying my thoughts as the others had.

_'I'm seeing things.. Maybe I'm more exhausted than I thought.'_

A second unusual thought came immediately after, only this one was cruel like the first had been.

_'NO! I'm not to blame! It's their fault! If they weren't so damn weak, I wouldn't have had to save them!'_

I gripped my head, shivering at how unstable my thought process and emotions were. Somehow, I made it through another two of her Pokemon, but the doubts, the cruel thoughts, only got worse. The third battle was much longer than the last, and my third fighter, Dyno, took more damage than Kratos or Poseidon had.

"You're shaking, Bruce."

"I AM NOT!"

Sabrina simply laughed, calling out her last Pokemon, Alakazam. The images of the Dojo master and his story of how his Primeape had been killed came back to me in a wave, and I called out Baxter, my confidence lessening rapidly as I saw Starscream in his place. Had I not heard Baxter's familiar chirp, I would have recalled him, having mistaken him for the one member of my team that had a weakness against psychic types.

"Alakazam, Psychic attack!"

"Baxter! **Don't screw this up for me!**"

I was pouring with sweat, and I screamed, frustrated and frightened by the voice, the thoughts that had apparently overtaken my body. Baxter turned at the sound of my cry, leaving him completely open to the full force of the Psychic attack. I gripped my head, feeling my body suddenly grow heavier, falling to my knees, my legs unable to hold me up. Alakazam slammed Baxter's body into the ceiling with its psychic powers, and the alien voice took over again as I tried to call out to him.

**"Baxter! Use Fissure!"**

Baxter looked at me with a confused expression as he fell back down to the floor, Alakazam pummeling him with another Psychic attack.

_'What am I DOING?! He hasn't LEARNED Fissure yet! AGH!'_

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH MEEEE?!"

The alien voice entered my head again, only this time, it was speaking to me directly.

_'Your resolve is breaking, Bruce. Your Pokemon are failing you. Order them correctly, or you'll lose this battle!'_

I recalled Baxter, bringing out Jenso, shouting at the alien voice.

"DAMMIT! GET OUT OF MY MIND, YOU BASTARD!"

Jenso turned toward me, only to suffer the same attack Baxter did at the hands of Alakazam, Sabrina's laugh piercing my ears. I fought back against the weight of my own body, pushing myself to my feet. Sabrina's laughing ceased as I shouted to Jenso, yelling above the alien voices own speech.

"JENSO! You have to win this battle! And you can't rely on my help! Whatever happens, don't follow my instructions until this is over! YOU HAVE TO SHUT OUT MY VOICE!"

Jenso growled frustratedly, confused, but I stared desperately into his eyes, and he stared back into mine. I prayed that he would understand me, and he did, roaring as he broke free of Alakazam's Psychic technique. The alien voice tried to order him again, but he had tuned my voice out, and I resigned myself back to the sudden weight of my body, falling to my hands and knees. I struggled to keep the abnormal thoughts out of my head, one thought, one that was truly mine, standing out above all others.

_'I trust you... Jenso!'_

Alakazam went down, and the added weight of my body suddenly left me, falling flat onto the floor, exhausted from fighting against it. The alien voice, the abnormal thoughts, they were all gone. I heard Sabrina's footsteps as she walked over to me. I looked up and was surprised to see that the eerie grin that had been etched on her face was gone, a genuine smile having replaced it. She offered me her hand as she spoke, Jenso gazing down at me worriedly.

"Forgive me, Bruce of Pallet Town, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold back against you after seeing your fight with Team Rocket."

I let her help me to my feet, and I suddenly heard her voice in my mind.

_'Maybe this will make it easier to understand. I'm a real Psychic, as well as a Gym leader of psychic type Pokemon.'_

"Then you were the one who-"

_'Yes, that's correct. I was the one who planted the little doubts and cruel thoughts in your mind. I'm sorry to have tricked you like that.'_

I kept talking, but she only responded with her mind as she tended to her Alakazam.

"Does that mean you were somehow making me see things, too?"

_'Yes, that's also true. I knew that unless I was to somehow weaken your confidence in your team and yourself, that I'd lose against you all too easily.'_

Outside of her mind, she giggled, and I looked up to see the same expression of confusion and shock on Jenso's face that I had.

"Can you talk into their minds too?"

_'Yes, he knows what I was doing, so he should listen to you again now. I'm sorry I had to strain your relationship with him, and I feel a little guilty having tainted such a strong will with my little planted doubts.'_

I smirked up at Jenso, who smirked back at me as I walked over to Sabrina, offering her my hand as she recalled Alakazam.

"Don't worry about it. Testing our bonds like that is what makes them stronger. It was a good lesson for me, too. I learned to trust my instincts more readily, and that's a great thing to know. Thank you, Sabrina. It was a good battle."

She smiled as I helped her to her feet, handing me a Marsh Badge before walking back deeper into the Gym.

"Wait! I have one question, though. When you said that Gary lost here, was that a lie too?"

She didn't look back, and she left me with only a half-answer.

_'Trust your own answer. I'm sure you already know.'_

* * *

I healed everyone at the Pokemon Center, and let them have a well-earned meal before we left Saffron. It was late in the day by the time they had all had their fill, but I didn't mind. I called out Kratos, holding Jenso's Pokeball in my hand as we flew back toward Pallet Town.


	16. Day 15

Bruce's Log-Day 15

I woke up early again, even though today was supposed to be a day of rest for all of us. I was back in Pallet Town, but I couldn't break myself out of my traveling mindset, having trained myself to get up early in the morning for months before my journey even began. I dressed quickly, already feeling cramped in my small room. I left a note for my mother and walked to Professor Oaks lab to check up on my team. As I opened the door, I was greeted by Jenso's old friend, Bulbasaur, leaping up onto my chest and knocking me to the ground, Jenso close behind her.

"Ow... Hey there, little guy. I guess you didn't have too much trouble getting used to how much Jenso's grown, did you?"

"Saur!"

Jenso wrapped his tail around Bulbasaur and set her up on his back before launching off into the sky. I called after him.

"Jenso! Stay low to the ground! Bulbasaur's probably terrified of heights!"

Jenso circled around, plummeting down toward the ground before angling upward and rocketing back off again, Bulbasaur gleefully chirping, her vines wrapped around Jenso's neck.

"Huh. Here I was thinking he was always serious."

I heard Kratos walk out behind me, and I turned.

"Kratos! Just who I was looking for!"

Kratos looked at me questioningly.

"I know I promised you'd all get your rest today, but I can't seem to get myself comfortable in this place anymore. I need you to fly me over to Fuchsia, I think I'll just check out the Safari Zone there for today. You could fly back here, they don't allow trainers to bring in their Pokemon anyway."

Kratos looked concerned, but I reassured him.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine on my own. The Safari Zone is perfectly safe for trainers, they wouldn't let anyone in without their Pokemon otherwise."

* * *

Within an hour, I found myself within the Safari Zone, having told Kratos that I would meet him before nightfall near the entrance to Cycling Road, so he wouldn't have to fly quite as far. I had paid the entrance fee, and was on my own, armed only with 30 'Safari Balls', some bait, and the rocks that lay all over the ground. I knew the rules still applied here, but I was disappointed when my first encounter was a Parasect instead of a Rhyhorn, like I had secretly been hoping. I named it 'Megalon' before it was transferred back to the PC storage system, leaving me back where I had started. Groaning, I turned back the way I had came, intending to return to the Cycling Road entrance early.

* * *

I found myself wandering deeper into the Safari Zone instead of returning to the exit. I entered a building that was covered in growth, surprised to see someone actually there. A middle-aged man stood up to greet me.

"Finally! You're the first one to find your way here! You've won the prize!"

"Prize? What prize?"

He handed a Teaching Machine for water technique known as Surf. Before I could ask anything else, he was gone, disappeared before my eyes. I was puzzled, but merely shrugged it off, unaware that my sworn enemy had just aided me for reasons unknown.

* * *

I was back in Pallet Town all too soon, having told my team that we were going to head out again the next day. As I close this log entry, I feel like I've figured out why I had so much trouble with this day of rest. It's because I don't feel like I've accomplished anything at the end of the day. It's always been an issue with me, ever since I was young. Even if I was sick with a fever, I would always find a way to get outside and do something, no matter what it was. Now, though, after having growing a little wiser from this journey, I feel like I can be satisfied with that I did accomplish one thing; I managed to mature a little further, and I was able to sacrifice the feeling of personal achievement for the well-being of my Pokemon. That, in itself, is an accomplishment.


	17. Day 16

Bruce's Log-Day 16

I was up and about early the next morning, as was Jenso and the rest of my team. I was truly touched by their understanding of my need to continue my quest, and they didn't resist it one iota. I left another note for my mother before mapping out how I planned to continue to the next town, on an island directly South of Pallet Town. I wasn't going to go that route, though, at least, not right away. I was planning again for some fresh battle experience, particularly for Dyno. I flew back to Fuchsia before teaching Poseidon the Surf technique I had acquired yesterday, battling several trainers that were roaming the beach that marked the start of Sea Route 19.

* * *

Having leapt up onto Poseidon's back after having defeated all the shoreline trainers with Dyno, I found myself surprised by how many swimmers there were with their Pokemon out in the ocean that wanted to battle. They commanded their Pokemon unusually well, considering they lacked the footing to stand on that I had. I didn't complain, of course, it was ultimately all just more battle experience for my Pokemon. Or at least, that was I had stupidly been thinking before receiving a rude awakening. I had called out Starscream, as he had battled the least out of everyone on the team, and the opposing trainer had put him up against a Shellder. It was going well until I heard;

"Aurora Beam!"

"Wait-NO!"

I shouted out too late. Starscream took the full force of the blow, falling out of the sky. I bolted from my position on Poseidon's back, leaping off the crest that adorned his head and catching Starscream, both of us crashing down through the water. Poseidon dived down, lifting us back up on his back above the surface. I was scared, Starscream was shivering violently, and I was reminded of those that I'd lost already. I called out Kratos, leaping up onto his back before recalling Poseidon, shouting to the swimmer below.

"I'm sorry! We'll have to continue later!"

I told Kratos to fly for Fuchsia, leaving the opposing trainer slightly dazed, still in the water.

* * *

I crashed into the Pokemon Center, pleading for Starscream to be helped, not caring whether or not any of the nurses recognized me from days earlier. They tore him out of my hands, his body still shaking uncontrollably, frigid. I stood, staring blankly as they rushed him into the emergency room, my body frozen, paralyzed. My hands moved on their own, releasing my team, ignoring one of the nurses that did recognize me, unintentionally pushing her away from me before she could look at my leg again. I was terrified, I started walking out of the building. The weight of what had almost happened slowly bore into my mind. I started sprinting, aimlessly, I didn't know where I was going, just as long as I was farther away from the reminder of my own stupidity. I tore past Routes 15, 14, 13 and 12, slowing only once my terror-induced rush of adrenalin had gone dry. I lay just a short distance away from Lavender Town, but I didn't feel like going to see Mr. Fuji, or to see the graves of my lost team members in Pokemon Tower. I lay there on the docks, panting heavily, retching over the edge. I finally caught my breath, looking down at my reflection in the water, remembering how Team Rocket had tried to drown me in the same sea of water that I was gazing into. I was exhausted again, like I was back then, and I found myself amazed at how little time had passed since Gaia died, and hated myself for having forgotten so quickly. The sun began to sink on the horizon, and I vaguely heard Jenso's growls before he eased me up onto his back and flew us back to Fuchsia. I remember, very distinctly amongst everything else, just before I fell asleep, wondering if Giovanni had ever experienced the same loss that Gary and I had.

_'If so... am I going to end up like him, fooling myself into thinking my friends are nothing more than tools?'_


	18. Day 17

Bruce's Log-Day 17

I woke up in the Fuchsia City Pokemon Center, and weakly craned my neck, smiling a little, seeing Jenso's head on my leg, his neck stretched over the gap between another mattress beside mine, where his body was laying.

"Your Golbat is going to be fine. Just don't jump out the window again like you did last time."

I looked over to see one of the nurses that had casted my right leg after the biker incident sitting in the doorway, and I coughed, my throat dry after running so far at once the previous day.

"S-sorry..."

"Don't worry about it. Just go back to sleep."

"N-no, I have to-"

I tried to move my leg out from under Jenso's head, but he grunted stubbornly, glaring at me as he opened his eyes, refusing to budge. The nurse smiled, walking over as I swiftly lay back down on the bed, Jenso closing his eyes again.

"He hasn't gone to sleep all night, he's been laying there just in case you woke up. I think he's afraid that you would run off again like you did yesterday."

"How did I even get here?"

I gladly took a glass of water from her, which lessened the dry soreness in my throat.

"He brought you back. We tried to keep all your Pokemon here with us, we thought you were going to come back right away. We tried everything on this one so he wouldn't run out after you, even tried to tranquilize him. He's just so stubborn, though, he actually wrestled with the entire staff of Chanseys we have before finally breaking loose. Luckily, there were no injuries, but it's clear he's terrified of losing you. So you might as well sleep, because you're obviously not going anywhere for a while anyway."

I felt my eyes watering, hearing how fiercely Jenso had struggled just to bring me back, feeling insanely stupid and cruel for having ran away like I had. The nurse walked back to her post in the doorway, but I couldn't sleep. I was too worried, too preoccupied with the thoughts that were viciously lashing out at me from every doubtful and fearful crevice of my mind.

_'What if I have to fight another Ice-type Pokemon? Jenso has Flying as a secondary typing, what if his fire isn't fast enough? What if Dyno runs out of electricity? What if I have to fight a Rock-type and Poseidon is too tired? What if I have to fight an Electric-type and Baxter isn't fast enough to take it out?'_

I eventually fell asleep, exhausted by all the anxiety that was plaguing my head.

* * *

The questions kept eating away at me, even hours later once I had left Fuchsia and had battled the remainder of the trainers on Sea Route 20 and 21. I had stopped at the Seafoam Islands, fishing for a possible new Pokemon, watching my team continue to act as though nothing had changed. Jenso was the only one still watching me, and I still felt immense guilt at having forced him to go through that feeling of a shattered heart that Giovanni had given him. Everyone else had forgiven me for my moment of weakness, but it only made him all the more observant of my actions. As I close this log entry, I wonder whether or not I'll be able to regain the trust from him that I have lost.


	19. Day 18

Bruce's Log-Day 18

I woke up later than usual today, and headed straight for Cinnabar Island, hoping that I could avoid the Gym battle for as long as possible, figuring I might be able to do other things to keep my mind off of the events of the past couple days. I was in some luck, as it turned out there was a foreign researcher working at the local laboratory who specialized in recreating extinct Pokemon from DNA found in certain fossils. Having obtained both the Dome Fossil, and the Old Amber, I gave him both to work on while I looked up the fossils' respective species to which they belonged. I quickly discovered, firsthand, that the Dome Fossil contained remnants of the extinct Pokemon Kabuto, a Pokemon which I named Zorro, due to the blades its evolution, Kabutops, possessed. I had to cover my ears to keep from being deafened as Aerodactyl was reborn from the Old Amber, which I donned Ghidora before both were transferred to the PC storage system. I was practically dragged out by Jenso, as he seemed to somehow know that I was purposefully avoiding the Gym.

* * *

I was relieved to see that the Gym door was locked, though Jenso was somewhat less so. I asked around about the Gym leader, Blaine, who had apparently been a scientist himself once long ago. Many people described him as eccentric, which I felt was probably to be expected of Gym leaders at that point. While I was asking one local about him, I caught a glimpse of a shadowed figure watching me from near the old burned laboratory. Before I could investigate further, they were gone, having fled within the burnt building. I followed, though I took the direct entrance. As a consequence, the front portion of the building began to collapse, encasing me in rubble.

* * *

It took a long while before the toxic fumes from the ash finally died down, and I was finally able to use Baxter to dig me out of the rubble. I managed to capture another new teammate, a Koffing, which I named Joker, before he was sent back to the PC. I didn't know what I was looking for, but I had a gut feeling that something important was hidden in the building, and I intended to find out what it was. After a long time of fending off wild Pokemon and defeating a couple low-class burglars, I finally found what I was looking for. At least, a piece of it. As the clocks ring midnight, ending this day, I read out loud the first of four diary entries left by an unknown scientist. It reads as follows-

_July 5 - Guyana, Southern America. A new Pokemon was discovered deep in the jungle. Could it be? After so many years of searching, have we finally discovered the ultimate archeological and historical find of all mankind? I can only hope such things, as my spirit has been raised extremely only to be disappointed on many occasions, though, cautiously, I feel my morale grow with each recording of data._


	20. Day 19

Bruce's Log-Day 19

I looked in the diary pages to see if there was more to the entry, but the rest of the text was completely unreadable, the pages burnt and charred. I heard footsteps from the staircase behind me, and I turned to see another thief, garbed in a lab coat, of all things. He pointed accusingly at me, questioning why I was there. I called out Baxter to counter his Magnemites and Magneton, shoving past him after easily defeating his Pokemon.

"I'm not looting, unlike you."

* * *

I didn't know why, but I felt compelled to find the rest of the diary, though I quickly discovered that the entire building was like a labyrinth. There were strange, ominous statues with hidden switches, which opened up some doors and locked other doors. It took me a long while before I figured out how to correctly manipulate the system, and found two more diary pages.

_July 10 - We christened the newly discovered Pokemon, Mew. I feel that Giovanni has given us a project that is much too shallow to truly consider it worthy of this find, though a man in my position cannot afford to complain. After all, it is true that the man has given me more than was originally agreed to in exchange for the completion of this project._

Merely hearing the name Giovanni spoken out loud as I read the page to my team was enough to make Jenso growl deeply, his hatred for the man completely unhidden and unrestrained. It again reminded me of the moment when I had felt Jenso's heart shatter, his will to live having been utterly robbed of him when he had been told I was dead. I felt guilt well up inside me again, distracting myself from it, reading the third entry out loud.

_February 6 - Mew's DNA has successfully given birth to an entirely new organism. We have chosen to name the 'newborn' Mewtwo. Although it is only the size of a human baby at this stage, it is already showing signs of intelligence and psychic powers. Despite the enormous impact this project will have, and although I will never admit it to anyone else, I feel as if an ominous cloud is overshadowing me. Perhaps it is merely a symptom of my slight paranoia, but I have a terrible feeling that disastrous things lie ahead in the near future._

* * *

The latest of the entries left me and my team somewhat unnerved, as we continued to explore the abandoned building, trying to find a way out. It was then that I saw the same shadowed figure turning a corner just as I ascended another flight of stairs. I ran after them around a corner, but they had seemingly vanished. I looked down over the side of a hole in the floor that dropped down to lower levels. I called out Poseidon, releasing him out onto the base of the floor below. I stepped onto his neck and he lowered me to ground level before I recalled him, turning to see the enigmatic figure fleeing down another flight of stairs.

"STOP! WHO ARE YOU?"

I sprinted down after them, down into the basement, and I halted at the foot of the stairs. There was complex machinery, mostly destroyed, there were large monitors that covered the walls, either broken or just barely working. I walked slowly past all of the equipment, stopping in the center, drawn into another, smaller chamber. The lights still worked, dimly revealing a huge, shattered containment tube. In front of it was a table with another page of the diary, which read as follows;

_September 1 - My fears were all too true. Mewtwo's power is far too great to be controlled by human hands. We have failed to curb its vicious tendencies. We've created a monstrosity the likes of which the world has never seen or imagined. I've decided that I no longer care what Giovanni's orders are. I've got to shut down the creature befo-..._

The ink on the page didn't say any more, followed only by a black blotch. The paper was completely lacking in burn marks, but the entry had been completely, suddenly cut off. I felt sweat develop on my forehead as I imagined what the cause of such a sudden cessation of the writing may have been.

"I KNEW IT! FILTHY TEAM ROCKET SPY!"

I turned to see an old man yelling at me accusingly. He was bald, sporting shades and a long white mustache, wearing a lab coat. I matched his appearance to the shadows of the person that had led me into the burned structure the previous day.

"I'm not with the Rockets! I just saw you yesterday and wanted to ask you about something!"

"LIAR! Only two kinds of people have any interest in this place anymore! Looters, and undercover Rocket spies trying to find me!"

Before I could say anything else, an explosion went off on the upper levels, the already weakened structure of the building failed, the old man fleeing up the steps with surprising speed.

"I KNEW IT! WELL, YOU WON'T CATCH ME, YOU RATS! YOU'LL DIE IN YOUR OWN TRAP!"

"WAIT! WHO ARE YOU?!"

He couldn't hear me, the upper floors foundation came crashing down, blocking the staircase. I threw myself to the floor, recalling my team moments before they were crushed by falling debris. Jenso roared, refusing to be called back into his Pokeball. I yelled at him, angry and scared for his safety.

"I'M NOT GOING TO LEAVE YOU AGAIN, BUT YOU HAVE TO TRUST ME! I CAN'T THINK OF A WAY OUT IF I'M WORRIED ABOUT YOU!"

A huge steel beam crashed down on him, a mountain of debris quickly piling over him. I shouted out to him, my voice overwhelmed by the screams of the charred building as it fully caved in on itself. I saw one of the walls open up to the outside, my eyes watering as I sprinted for it, throwing myself outside onto the ground. I spun around onto my back, shouting as tears streaked down my face.

"JENSO!"

* * *

The whole island had been awakened by the blast, and police were on the scene within minutes. They didn't see a crying trainer, desperately tearing aside huge piles of debris searching for his most loyal and first Pokemon, they saw a hysterical teenager making a mess of a crime scene and a possible suspect. I didn't hear their warnings, their half a dozen attempts to get me to move away from the destroyed building. It wasn't until after they started grabbing my arms that I was partially broken out of my trance, but I struggled persistently, calling for him, shouting out Jenso's name.

"Restrain him!"

"JENSO! JENSO! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

"GET HIM BACK!"

My hands were raw, bleeding and splintered from handling the jagged steel and snapped wood. I fell to my knees, crying out angrily at the mountain of rubble that separated me from my friend, too weak to fight back as the officers finally dragged me away from the destruction.

"I won't leave you, Jenso! Not again! **I WON'T LEAVE YOU!**"

"Bring him into the Pokemon Center for questioning, get an I.D. out of 'em and get him cleaned up."

My cry echoed out for miles across the ocean, breaching the depths beneath which Jenso was buried. Someone yelled, and all the gathered citizens backed away, terrified, as the enormous pile of debris began to sift. The ground rumbled, the vertex of the mountain pushed out higher and higher, the officers who had me in their grip had stopped. I watched, teary-eyed, as a large figure crashed its way up from under the rubble, a wave of the debris blasting outward, and everyone fell to the ground, many narrowly avoiding being impaled by the projectiles. I was the only one standing, walking slowly forward, then running up the huge pile, recognizing the outline of the figure against the moonlight.

"JENSO!"

My friend craned his neck toward me weakly, growling faintly before collapsing to the ground, covered with injuries. I threw myself over him, sobbing, relieved and exhausted.

"I'm not going to leave you again, Jenso... I'll never leave you again..."

* * *

I didn't sleep at all while Jenso was being treated, I watched from the window just outside his room, completely unmoving. I refused to get any help for my hands from the nurses, and the officer who had 'escorted' me to the Pokemon Center kept telling me to go with him into a private room for questioning. I kept giving him the same answer every time.

"You're going to have to wait. I'm not leaving this spot."

I could tell he was growing increasingly frustrated, but I didn't care, all I cared about in that moment was Jenso's health. Finally, the nurses walked out, and told me he was going to be fine, but needed rest. They all warned me that he couldn't take visitors right now, but I ignored them.

"I'm not a visitor. I'm his TRAINER. Damned if you don't know the difference."

"Watch your mouth, brat!"

"You feel free to question me all you like, but you can do it in Jenso's presence. If I'm going to be questioned, it's going to happen where I can be with him. And I don't care what you say, that isn't negotiable."

Before the officer could tell me off a second time for having talked back, I shut the door to Jenso's room behind me, sitting down by his bed. He growled groggily, I figured he had probably been injected with half a dozen painkillers.

"I'm here, Jenso, I'm not going to leave you. Not for the Gym, not for the law, not for anything."

* * *

It was much later in the day when the police finally ruled me out as a suspect, and I had allowed one of the nurses to treat my hands. I was surprised to hear that my description of the old man I had seen matched the appearance of Blaine, the Cinnabar Gym leader.

"We'll need to talk to him, then."

"I don't think he's responsible."

The officers looked at me questioningly, and although I was tired, I was fairly certain of Blaine's innocence.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because when he saw me in the lowest level of the building, he accused me of being a spy for Team Rocket. And before you ask, I'm sure as hell not with them, I hate their guts. But I think there probably is some kind of involvement from them."

They thanked me for my help before leaving, and I allowed my muscles to relax, having hidden the key for the locked door to the Gym in my bag. I had found it during my exploration of the burned laboratory, and was planning to investigate things for myself. Jenso was awake, and he knew how my thought process worked, so, despite my hesitations, he managed to convince me to let him stay and rest while I went to the Gym.

"I'll be back for you, Jenso."

* * *

I found that it was quite easy to sneak into the Gym unnoticed, despite the fact that it was the middle of the day. Everyone on the island was busy talking about the explosion earlier that morning, too preoccupied to notice a teenage trainer walking nonchalantly into a Gym. As soon as I walked in, the door shut automatically, and I saw Blaine sitting in a chair that was positioned a long distance away.

"You survived. I figured you would. But you still won't take me, scum."

"For the last time, I'm not with those bastards. I'm just a trainer that was asking around, trying to get into your Gym to battle with you. I'm not a killer, or a thief, or a criminal."

"You say that, but you had to have stolen the spare key for the entrance from the lab before it was destroyed. I may be old, but I'm not stupid. Nor am I weak."

I saw that I wasn't going to be able to reason with him, and so we battled. Not surprisingly, I was victorious, using Baxter and Poseidon against his Fire Pokemon. After recalling my team, he walked toward me with an expression of resignation, his head hung.

"So you've won. Kill me if you will, but you'll get no information out of me. I've been done with Team Rocket for decades, and I'm not going to go back, no matter what Giovanni's offering."

"I don't care about information. I'll admit, I'm curious about what happened, but you don't need to tell me. I'm not a Rocket."

Both of us turned toward the entrance as the two officers that had been interrogating me earlier walked in, each with a Raticate and an Arbok at their sides.

"He's telling the truth, geezer. WE'RE the ones who're after you, not him!"

"WHAT?!"

I found myself cynically unsurprised, knowing that the Rocket organization would stoop to any low necessary to achieve their sickening goals. Blaine's Pokemon were all too weak to fight, so I brought out my own, ignoring Blaine's warnings.

"Don't do it, you idiot! You don't know what you're getting into! Don't try to be a hero, just run!"

I responded without turning back.

"I know more about what I'm up against than you think, Blaine. I've experienced the cruelties they commit firsthand."

"You-?"

My team charged forward, beating down their opponents with ease, just as Jenso, still bandaged, appeared in the doorway, halting the Rockets' attempt to flee before taking them both out at once. They fell to the floor, unconscious, and Jenso snorted as I walked over to him. I heard Blaine stand slowly, his voice lacking the paranoid fear it had held earlier.

"Why? Why are you risking your life fighting them? They wouldn't hesitate to kill you."

"Because they killed two of my very first Pokemon. And they didn't even express any remorse until it benefitted them to do so, after I started pummeling them. I don't care what they do to me, but I won't stop fighting until they're no longer a threat to my Pokemon."

There was silence for a few minutes as I tossed the two grunts at Blaine's feet, turning away again to leave.

"I don't know how terrible the creature you made for them is, but as long as there's a chance that men like Giovanni are going to try to harness its power to cause pain, I'm not going to stand by and watch. I plan to find Mewtwo, even if it kills me, and I'm going to keep it from falling into the wrong hands."

I recalled my team, all except Jenso, only stopping at the door because Blaine called out to me.

"No you're not, kid. Not without the right knowledge from me, that is."

* * *

The sky was beginning to darken by the time Blaine had given me all his information about Mewtwo.

"You'll have to be extremely careful, Mewtwo's psychic abilities can sense whenever someone has the intentions to come looking for it. It'll stop at nothing to try to deter you from going into Cerulean Cave. And aside from that, only the champion of the Pokemon League is allowed to enter the cave."

"Doesn't matter what it takes. I'll come up with a plan of some sort. You said that it can only access the most guarded memories of people from a certain distance..."

"Right. But it's powers kept growing when it was in the lab, and it escaped long before it had reached adulthood. The most updated distance I know is about thirty meters, though that distance could have easily doubled, or even tripled by now. You'll have to discipline your thought process to keep it guarded until you're within range."

He handed me a Volcano Badge, and walked with me toward the exit.

"I guess I'll just have to beat the Viridian Gym next. Do you know who the leader is?"

"Did you really beat Giovanni's plans?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with-"

"Because, whenever his plans have gone astray, or when he's decided to go undercover for a while, he goes by his other identity. The leader of the Viridian City Gym..."


	21. Day 20

Bruce's Log-Day 20

I woke up early, and immediately flew to Viridian City. I wanted to take Giovanni by surprise, and I walked into the Gym, my eyes dark, moving slowly as a single, powerful beam of light shone down on me.

"Bruce… I knew you'd come."

"I don't care whether you knew or not. I know now what you're after, and let me tell you right here, right now; I'm not going to allow it."

"Very noble of you, but you forget, on this battlefield, _I_ hold all the advantages."

The rest of the lights came on, revealing Giovanni, surrounded by his strongest team. I called out my team, staring him down, slowly walking toward him.

"HA! Your overconfidence will be your downfall, pest! Rhyhorn! Take Down!"

I didn't flinch as the heavily armored Pokemon charged towards me, calling my own Pokemon behind me.

"Starscream. Confuse Ray. Follow up with Swift."

"Swift?! You must be joking! Rhyhorn will easily-"

Suddenly, the four-legged creature fell to the floor, beaten.

"WHAT?! A fluke! Dugtrio, Slash!"

"Kratos, Quick Attack."

Once again, Giovanni's Pokemon fell, defeated, unconscious as I walked past it, gradually moving closer and closer to my opponent.

"Tch. Nidoqueen, Body Slam!"

"Dyno, Sonicboom."

"NIDOKING, HORN ATTACK!"

"Baxter, Dig."

"RAAAGH! RHYDON, HORN DRILL!"

"Poseidon, Hydro Pump."

One after the other, Giovanni's Pokemon fell, scattered across the field, and I stood before him, his face covered with sweat, his cruel smile extremely nervous.

"HOW?! THIS ISN'T POSSIBLE! NO TRAINER IS SO STRONG!"

He started to move back, only to find Jenso standing behind him, his nostrils flaring. Giovanni looked back at me, trying and failing to hide his fear.

"F-fine, you've beaten me. So take your damn Earth Badge and leave!"

He threw the badge to the floor, but I didn't stoop down to pick it up, I didn't look up at him, I only spoke quietly.

"Jenso. Slash attack."

"Wh-what?!"

Giovanni narrowly avoided being sliced in half by Jenso's claws, scrambling to his feet and running cowardly.

"Have you gone mad?! You've gotten what you came for!"

"No, I haven't. I didn't come here for the right to enter the Pokemon League. I came here for revenge."

Giovanni's eyes widened, but his smirk came back as he reached into his coat, pulling out a smoke bomb, lifting it over his head.

"Kratos. Sand Attack."

Kratos kicked up a blast of sand from the floor of the field, blinding Giovanni and causing him to drop the smoke bomb, but not setting it off.

"Starscream, Wing Attack."

The leader of Team Rocket threw himself to the floor, barely dodging Starscreams assault.

"Poseidon, Bite."

Giovanni rolled across the floor, only just keeping himself from being caught within Poseidon's jaws. It was only a momentary save, however, as Jenso quickly snatched him into his claws and smashed him up against the Gym walls, fire building up in his throat as he glared furiously into Giovanni's eyes.

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I SURRENDER! I SWEAR I WILL NEVER ABUSE OR KILL ANOTHER POKEMON SO LONG AS I LIVE!"

"Didn't you hear what I told you? I don't care if you surrender or not, I'm going to make sure you never do _anything_ else, ever again. Jenso, Fire Blast."

* * *

Giovanni lay on the floor, motionless, unconscious, the wall just above where his head had been held completely incinerated. Jenso snorted as I recalled him and the rest of my team. I stooped down and picked up the Earth Badge, turning toward the utterly defeated Team Rocket leader.

"At least, that's what I would have said and done a few days ago. But I've matured past that since then. Matured past the point that you never did. Goodbye, Giovanni. For your sake, I hope we never meet again."

I walked out of the Gym, having completed the hardest task of my life. Showing mercy to the one person I hated the most.

* * *

After giving everyone a chance to get more sleep at the Pokemon Center, I headed toward Route 22, and, same as nineteen days ago, I saw Gary walking toward me.

"Hey, B. You get all eight badges too?"

I nodded, and he smirked, producing a Pokeball.

"Cool. Let's battle. Just for a warm-up. Nothing serious, right?"

I smirked back at him, and accepted. The match went in my favor at first, until I called out Baxter to battle his Alakazam. At that moment, Gary's eyes suddenly turned white, and his voice became cold and monotone.

"Psybeam."

"What? GARY, NO, DON'T!"

It was too late. A single instant. A flash of bright light. Baxter flew into the air. He crashed to the ground. I couldn't move. Blood, gurgled chirps, silence.

"I-Bruce? What happened?"

"Gary…"

"What did I.. No, is he? Oh god.. What did I do? What happened?"

I fell to my knees. Jenso roared, attacked Alakazam. Gary recalled him. Gary's confused, frightened voice. Baxter's blood on my hands. His quills utterly still. Jenso's roar again. The roar stopped, my small, shivering whisper.

"J-jenso.. H-help me…"

"Bruce, I don't.. I mean, I didn't… I-"

Gary's Pidgeot. He was gone. Baxter's black eyes. Staring up at me. Tears splashed onto his face. Poseidon's anguished roar. Kratos' stoic sobs. Dyno's frustrated thunder. Starscream's broken screech. Jenso's low growl. My body shook. The ground moved lower beneath me. Streaks of tears poured from my eyes. My heartbroken scream echoed outward for miles.

_**"BAXTER!"**_

* * *

I didn't take Baxter to the Pokemon Center. I knew he wasn't coming back to us. I felt his body grow colder and stiffer as more blood leaked from his wounds. The red, sticky fluid dried on my hands, as my eyes continued shedding tears, as my feet continued walking. I knew where he would have wanted to be laid to rest, and I wasn't going to fly there. I was still in too much shock, too traumatized by his death to even speak. My team followed in my wake, Poseidon merely sweeping aside all the Bug Pokemon of Viridian Forest. I felt people stare as I passed through Pewter City, but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop, my body was moving for me. My mind was in denial, too disturbed to give my limbs any commands. Starscream repelled all the wild Pokemon of Mt. Moon with his screech. I slid down the ledges of Route 4, and entered Cerulean City, dirty and thoroughly covered in dried blood. I continued to ignore the stares I attracted, and kept walking past the wide-eyed trainers of Route 9. Wild Pokemon continued to appear, but my team continued to keep them at bay, until we reached our destination. Gaia's burial site, in front of the Pokemon Center just before the entrance to Rock Tunnel. My voice suddenly started working again, and I whispered to Baxter as I lay him onto the ground, digging into the earth with my own hands.

"I know you two were a good pair. I hope you can rest easy alongside her."

My work was slow, my hands covered in blood and stained with tears, but I didn't care. I kept going, determined to dig Baxter's grave myself. My palms grew raw, my arms got dirty, but still, I kept digging. Finally, I lowered his body into the ground, covering it up with steady handfuls of dirt. The tears didn't stop falling, they soaked into the soil as I buried my friend. My eyes were dark, focused on blocking the shock and shrouds of depression from my mind. I knew, despite how much I had loved him, I couldn't afford to mourn Baxter's death, not just yet. Slowly, I walked to the waters edge of Route 9, rinsing his blood off of my hands, washing my face.

_'Forgive me, Baxter. But it's too dangerous to let my emotions take over right now. I can't let myself grieve, not before we deal with the threat of Mewtwo. Blaine told me that I had to keep my thoughts disciplined, restrained, guarded.'_

"My failure to do that was what got you killed."

My team looked over to me, I could feel their saddened confusion. Only Jenso knew what I meant, as he always did, and he walked to my side, growling questioningly.

"Yes, I'm sure of it. I've known Gary since we were both toddlers. He acts like a tough guy, but he isn't a murderer. He knows what loss is too. No matter what may have happened since we saw him last, he would never wish that kind of loss on anyone else. A powerful psychic mind was in control of Gary's body when he ordered Alakazam to attack, I could see it in his eyes. But that still leaves another thing that worries me."

I stood, turning to everyone, having gathered around me, listening intently to my every word.

"If Mewtwo is able to control someone's body and actions from so far away, why didn't he just take over my body and make me commit suicide or something?"

It was then that I heard a familiar voice in my head.

_'Because you have a little extra protection that your friend didn't.'_

I craned my neck up to see Kadabra and Alakazam levitating above us, along with a dark-haired figure between them as they all lowered to the ground.

"Sabrina?"

_'Nice to see you again, Bruce of Pallet Town.'_

* * *

"Blaine sent you to follow me?"

It was around noon, still very early in the day, yet so much had happened that I was completely exhausted. I sat near the tall grass with Sabrina and her two Pokemon beside me, while mine, excluding Jenso, were all around Baxter and Gaia's graves, mourning our most recent loss.

_'That's correct. I must say, I didn't think it possible for you to be much stronger than we had battled, but your victory against Giovanni proved me wrong. Very admirable for you to spare his life, as well.'_

I subconsciously lowered my guards around my emotions, speaking in a saddened tone.

"Oh. So you were watching?"

_'Through your eyes, yes. Had I been put through the pain he made you experience, I am not certain I would have been so merciful.'_

I didn't feel much uplifted by her praise, though she did break me out of my trance before I was able to sink into depression.

_'I know you're heartbroken for your Sandslash, and I'm truly sorry that he was a casualty of the campaign you have chosen to take up against Giovanni and Mewtwo.'_

She must have been conveying the same thoughts to Jenso, because he immediately roared furiously, lunging for her. Alakazam was only barely able to restrain him with his psychic abilities as I tried to calm him.

"Jenso, she's not the enemy. She's not trying to sound cruel, okay? Just chill."

He snorted at me angrily before launching into the air, flying off into the sky before I could stop him.

'_I didn't mean to upset him. I'm sorry.'_

I slumped back to the ground.

"Don't be. This whole mess is my fault. He just feels guilty for not being able to stop it from happening. It's also a huge blow to his pride."

_'Pride?'_

"Jenso's always been the strongest of the team. He's always made that fact perfectly clear to all of our opponents, expressing his sort of 'Alpha' status. Because of that position he holds, he's very proud of his battle skills and his strength. Maybe you read that off of him already, but his pride is one of the most crucial pieces that makes Jenso who he is, and whenever it's broken, he always has to find the strength to restore it within himself."

_'Why is your Pidgeot following him?'_

I looked up, watching as Kratos flew off after Jenso.

"Kratos has a similar sort of pride, but he's much more stoic about it. He's more stoic about everything, actually. He's probably going to help Jenso pick up the pieces of his pride."

_'…I see. And that pride extends farther than just to their ability to handle themselves in battle, doesn't it?'_

I nodded, pulling up a handful of the tall grass, weighing it in my hands, thinking about Gaia.

"Yeah. Jenso's pride makes him more than just the 'Alpha'. It makes him the protector of everyone else on the team, and of me. That's why Baxter's death is eating at him so much, because Baxter was with us for so long. He feels like Baxter died because he let his guard down, he allowed himself to believe that the worst was behind us. And I'm guilty of the same thing. I thought that we had grown so much stronger, I thought that we were ready for anything life could throw our way. I let myself forget how bad the pain was, let myself think we were invincible. It's not Jenso's responsibility to protect my Pokemon, it's mine. And now, with Baxter, I've failed, again."

Sabrina was about to say something, probably tell me off for letting myself grow emotional, but I stood up suddenly, despite my exhaustion.

"But Jenso told me something once, with his flames. He told me that we must grow stronger from our failures, our losses. I know I'm not invincible, Baxter reminded me of that, and I'm not going to let anyone else on my team be sacrificed just to remind me again."

Sabrina stood, speechless for a moment as I started walking toward the Pokemon Center before speaking to me again with her thoughts.

_'You're amazing, Bruce of Pallet Town. Truly, I have never seen such a prime example of willpower and resiliency in this world before. Train hard, and if ever you feel like the pressure may suffocate you, just remember, Blaine and I are with you, as are your Pokemon.'_

I turned to thank her, but she was already gone, only her Alakazam and Kadabra left behind to keep my mind protected from invasion by Mewtwo. I walked into the Pokemon Center, withdrawing Tyrone, the Gastly I had captured in Lavender Town days ago. I called him out as I walked back outside, Kratos and Jenso having returned, and I told them my plan.

* * *

Kadabra teleported everyone to Lavender Town, and Tyrone wasted no time in causing a disturbance, scaring dozens of people and cackling.

"Tyrone! This isn't the time! We've got work to do!"

Mocking disappointment, Tyrone followed me into Pokemon Tower, snickering as I put on the Silph Scope, entering the higher levels of the building. I used two Teaching Machines to teach him the techniques Psychic and Dream Eater, though it did nothing to make him any more serious as I called out.

"Spirits! I know you're here! I'm not here to hurt any of you! I need your help!"

One by one, Gastlys and Haunters materialized, grinning as they circled around me, their voices whispering eerily.

"I know you don't trust humans since Team Rocket tried to destroy your home, but I need you to help me train Tyrone."

They all cackled, their laughs echoing throughout the room, until a familiar voice broke through it.

"Listen to the boy, my friends. Don't you recognize him? He is the one who drove the bad ones away."

The laughing ceased, their grinning disappeared, moving aside as Mr. Fuji walked toward me.

"Hello, my young friend. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, and how may I and my friends be of assistance?"

"You're friends with all these Pokemon?"

"Of course. I'm happy to say that all the orphans that were in my care have been adopted since you were last here. I have since taken it upon myself to become familiar with the spirits that inhabit and protect our precious Pokemon Tower. But I digress, what brings you here?"

I told him everything, and surprisingly, even Tyrone listened intently. I described the small war I waged against Team Rocket in Saffron, how Gary had helped me with my leg, how I had to rescue Jenso from Giovanni. I told him about Sabrina, Blaine, and Mewtwo. I told him about how I had fought Giovanni, and then against Gary, how I had seen his eyes change when he ordered his Alakazam to attack Baxter. I told him about how Blaine had described Mewtwo's powers, how I had decided to keep that power out of reach of those who would try to harness it for evil purposes. When I had finished, an house had passed, and everyone was quiet. Mr. Fuji was the first to break the silence.

"I had suspected that the new grave the spirits were constructing was referring to your Baxter, but I had hoped against it. My condolences."

He stood up, the dozens of ghost Pokemon rising with him.

"But as you said, the threat will not simply lessen if you take time to grieve now. You are a most noble young man, Bruce, and it would be my honor to aid you in your training of Tyrone in preparation of your battle against the Elite Four."

I smiled gratefully, Tyrone grinning wickedly as he prepared to battle his fellow spirits.

* * *

By the end of the day, Tyrone had grown much stronger, evolving into Haunter. I stayed with Mr. Fuji in his home again, and as I close this log entry, I still have to exert enormous willpower to keep from falling into the black hole of depression over Baxter's death.


	22. Day 21

Bruce's Log-Day 21

I was awake long before I got up. I lay in the guest bed of Mr. Fuji's house, staring up at the ceiling. Thoughts were racing through my mind, questions, doubts and concerns. I only knew a few things for certain, and none were very reassuring. I knew that Gary was in danger, his mind having been somehow infected by Mewtwo's powers. I knew that only a few people in the world even knew about Mewtwo and the threat it posed. I knew that I certainly wasn't the best person to handle that threat, even with the information Blaine had given me. I roused Tyrone, left a note of thanks for Mr. Fuji, and had Kadabra use Teleport to take us back to Cinnabar Island.

* * *

"You don't lock the door anymore?"

I smirked, Tyrone phasing through the wall of the Gym as I shut the door behind me, Sabrina's Alakazam and Kadabra following. Blaine was crouched over the two Rockets I had left in his care two days previous, tossing them against the wall before turning to me.

"Nah. I figure it makes it easier for people to challenge me if they don't have to interrogate the entire island."

He chuckled, his face filled with much more confidence than when I had first met him.

"I see Sabrina met up with you. I figured you might need some extra mental protection. So, what can I do for ya?"

I explained the incident with Gary and our battle, how Baxter had been a casualty as a result, and how I suspected Mewtwo was involved in Gary suddenly becoming malicious. I told him about my idea of using Tyrone as my sixth team member, how he still needed more training before we were ready for the Elite Four.

"That's why I'm here. You're the strongest Gym leader in the region, barring Giovanni. Tyrone will grow much faster if I could train with you."

Blaine paused briefly, scratching his head.

"I'm flattered, Bruce, but I don't know the first thing about Ghost Pokemon. I specialize in Fire-types. It'd be one thing if you were asking me to help train your Charizard, but…"

I looked to Tyrone, who was preoccupying himself with spooking the two Rocket grunts out of their wits, cackling incessantly. I had many questions, but I knew most wouldn't have answers that Blaine could give me, so I focused on only those regarding training, pulling up Jenso's Pokeball from my waist.

"You think it'd be okay if I left Jenso with you for the day to train, then? I know it's a lot to ask, but I-"

Blaine held up his hand, taking Jenso's Pokeball from my hand and calling him out, smiling.

"Bruce, you've given me back my confidence. I've been an absolute coward these past few decades, but you've reminded me that there are things worth risking your life for. There is nothing you could ask of me that I would not do."

"Thank you, Blaine. Jenso, you do as he says, okay? I'll be back for you before the end of the day."

I called Tyrone away from his entertainment, turning to leave, only to have Jenso fly over me and block the exit, snorting stubbornly.

"Jenso, listen. I'm not running away this time. I know you and I have been together since this whole adventure started, but Tyrone is the newest member of the team, and he's the one that needs my attention right now. I won't leave you behind again, I promise. Okay?"

Jenso and I stared intensely into each others eyes before he grunted agreement and let me pass. I smiled up at him as I walked out of the Gym, having Kadabra teleport us off the Island.

* * *

_'This is the last place I want to go for help. But if I'm going to take this whole thing seriously, I don't have a choice.'_

I had brought out Starscream, and was standing before the Fuchsia city Gym. Starscream let out a disgusted screech, clearly not happy that I was planning to ask Koga for help. I didn't like having to do it either, if I'm entirely honest, but I knew it was necessary. I entered the Gym, and wasn't greeted by any show of smoke or any flashy techniques. Koga was merely standing with his back to me and spoke without looking.

"Why do you disgrace my Gym with your presence again, ignorant child?"

Starscream screeched, but I signaled for him to stay calm, although my own fists were clenched.

"I'm here to ask you for help. I… need you to help train my Golbat."

"HAH! Why would I do this for you, a disrespectful, inexperienced young brat like yourself?"

In desperation, I fell to my knees, laying my head against the floor, despite Starscream's blunt disapproval.

"Please, leader Koga! You are revered for your knowledge of Poison type Pokemon! I need Starscream to have all the strength he can possibly acquire! I'm begging you, forgive my actions when I first came to your Gym, teach my Golbat what you know!"

There was silence for several minutes, then, suddenly, a young female with a long ponytail walked in from a sliding door that led outside, garbed similarly to Koga.

"Is this really the disrespectful boy that you told me about, Sensei? He looks as you described him, but he acts differently from what you told me."

"Hrm. Indeed, Janine. Perhaps he has learned a thing or two of humility since our first meeting. I was not expecting this from you. Get on your feet, ignorant child, and be grateful that I will accept your request. But I will not be the instructor, my daughter you see here, Janine, will."

"What?! Father, I'm still busy with my lessons and I-"

"Do not question my methods! And you will refer to me as Sensei in this Gym! There are many ways to learn, my student! One of the most potent and effective methods of learning is by teaching! Train hard, and do not report to me until he has returned for his Golbat."

Before I could say anything else, he was gone, and I turned to Koga's daughter, Janine, as she pouted inwardly.

"Fine. His name was Starscream, correct? Come, I'll be your trainer for the day."

Starscream wasted no time in perching on her arm, clearly much more receptive to being trained by her than by Koga.

"Janine?"

She turned to me, a slightly irritated look on her face.

"Thank your father for me. And thank you for taking the time to do this. You've no idea how much it means to me."

She smiled briefly before walking back out through the sliding door, and I exited the Gym, ordering Kadabra to teleport us to my next destination.

* * *

"Lemme get this straight, kid. You're asking me to babysit yer lil Electrode?"

Lt. Surge didn't look like he was in a good mood, lighting a cigarette as he waited for my answer outside of the Vermillion city Gym.

"Not babysit. Train. Dyno needs to be at his strongest for what lies ahead, and I know you're the most qualified to train Electric Pokemon."

Surge simply smoked his cigarette for a moment, staring out across the sea that lay before his Gym.

"Here's the thing, kid. I'm in a nostalgic mood at the moment, bit preoccupied with the thoughts of my ol' war buddies and my battles with 'em. Here's my offer-you lemme battle with your Sandslash again, and I'll give your lil 'Dyno' a piece of my regime. Deal?"

He held out his hand as he let a puff of smoke out from between his teeth.

"I-I can't give you that."

He lowered his shades, looking at me inquisitively.

"Why's that? Your buddy run off or somethin'?"

I felt a tear fall from my face, and Surge sneered, speaking firmly as he stormed into the Gym, slamming the doors behind him.

"Well, you can forget it, kid. I don't help out weaklings. I've lost more than you ever have during the war. You know what crying did for me? Not a damn thing. Get outta my city."

I shivered a little, and Dyno's electricity crackled, irritated that Surge had insulted me, but I shook my head, speaking to Surge from the other side of the doors.

"You don't understand, sir. I didn't mean to imply that my losses were comparative to yours. It's just, I lost Baxter in more than just the sense that he's not with me. I failed to protect him, and he died because of it."

There was silence from the other side of the door, and I slumped down against the outer wall. Dyno rolled next to me, and I put my arm over him.

"I've lost six team members on this journey of mine, sir. I know crying doesn't bring them back, but it helps me to let out the excess emptiness. I mean, you know, it's still there, and you never really move on or forget, but you heal, sort of. I can't really explain it, and I know I don't have time to focus on it right now. Athena, Ares, Gonzales, Xena, Gaia, Baxter… I still have something to do, and I can't let myself grieve for any of them until it's finished. But if you won't help us, I can understand."

I stood up, starting to walk away just as the door creaked open, Surge leaning back against the frame, smirking.

"Well, kid, I said I don't help out weaklings. But listenin' to yer lil story just now, I can relate. I was in a nostalgic mood, and you just reminded me of how I was just after the war. Pain is a funny thing, kid. For some, it can break ya, but if you're like us, you grow from it. Jus' leave yer lil 'Dyno' with me for the day, I'll pump it up."

* * *

"You want us to train your Pidgeot?"

I nodded respectfully to the Dojo Master, having brought Kratos to the fighting Dojo in Saffron city.

"Flying types are normally disapproved of in our Dojo, Bruce."

"I know, and I'm sorry to have to ask for you to make an exception for him, but I need everyone to be at their absolute best for when I fight the Elite Four. Please, sir."

The Dojo Master bowed, smiling.

"Very well, my young friend. We shall create a rigorous training regime designed specifically for Kratos. It may take a while, but you may place your faith in me."

I bowed in return, smiling gratefully.

"Thank you, sir. I can't thank you enough."

* * *

I was apprehensive about going to Cerulean city, since it meant I would be that much closer to Mewtwo. But I still needed someone to help train Poseidon, and the best Water Pokemon trainer I knew was Misty. Alakazam was clearly exerting much greater effort in guarding my thoughts from invasion as I walked toward the Gym. I was surprised to see that it was locked, with a note left on the door.

_The Cerulean city Gym has been temporarily closed down due to the recent evacuation. Challengers wishing to fight Misty may find her along Route 12._

It was at that point that I noticed that Cerulean was indeed desolate and completely abandoned. I quickly had Kadabra teleport us to Lavender Town, just North of Route 12.

_'Blaine must have told Misty to evacuate the city. I wonder how much she knows…'_

As we materialized in Lavender Town, I saw Misty, along with the residents of Cerulean gathered around in the town square. Misty and Mr. Fuji were arguing about something, and Mr. Fuji called me to him as I pushed my way forward through the crowd.

"Bruce, my young friend! Perfect timing! This young, disrespectful girl wants to disrupt the sacred Pokemon Tower by letting the residents of her city be sheltered within the spirits' home!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, WAIT. Just chill out. I need to talk to Misty for a few minutes. We'll get this cleared up, okay?"

Mr. Fuji nodded as I turned toward Misty, a frustrated expression on her face.

"Great. Who are YOU?"

"Misty, did someone tell you evacuate the city?"

"YES! Blaine contacted me and said that I needed to move everyone to Lavender Town! He didn't give me any reason, he just said it was urgent that I did!"

I felt enormous pressure weigh down on me, everyone's eyes on me, waiting for me to give them answers. I shifted my gaze to Kadabra, whispering to him briefly before everyone except both of us, Misty and Mr. Fuji were all frozen, unmoving and unresponsive.

"What the hell?!"

"Misty, listen-I need your help, but we need to come up with a plan for quarters for your city. I need to explain some stuff to you, and I can't risk having anyone else hearing. I had Kadabra use Disable so that no one aside from us knows about it."

"What are you talking about?! I've had to put up with so much crap today! You better start talking or else-"

"Young lady, I would listen to the boy if I were you. He tends to make sense, which is more than I can say for most these days."

Misty was about to retort, but I shouted out frustratedly.

"BOTH OF YOU, SHUSH! JUST LET ME EXPLAIN WHAT'S GOING ON SO WE CAN FIX THIS ISSUE!"

They both went silent, and, again, I gave the full explanation of Mewtwo's threat, Team Rocket's plans to abuse its power, how I had gotten involved in all of it, how I had lost six of my friends, why Blaine didn't tell Misty about Mewtwo right away, why I needed her help to train Poseidon. My throat was dry by the time I was finished, and Misty's expression was blank. Mr. Fuji spoke apologetically.

"I suppose I did not realize the true seriousness of this situation, Bruce. I did not appreciate that this Mewtwo might possess power enough to threaten such a huge populace. I implore your forgiveness, young lady, I will talk to the spirits of Pokemon Tower, I'm sure we can arrange something for the citizens of your city."

Misty flushed before smiling, swiping Poseidon's Pokeball out of my hand.

"I guess I get why Blaine wanted the city cleared out if there's really something like that in Cerulean Cave. I'll train your Gyarados, Bruce, but first, who else knows about all this?"

"You, Mr. Fuji, Blaine, Giovanni, and me. Why do you ask?"

"Brock was told to leave Pewter City for Celadon, he was the one that relayed Blaine's message to me."

"I'll go explain it to him and Erika, then. Thank you, Misty."

I signaled for Kadabra to deactivate its Disable technique, and had it teleport us to Celadon.

* * *

After telling the same story to Brock and Erika to help them understand why Pewter City's population needed quarters, I found myself wondering where the best place would be to train Tyrone. He was clearly bored, and it wasn't unreasonable for him to be somewhat sulky. We had spent about two hours contacting all the Gym leaders to get help training the rest of the team, and being the mischievous Haunter he was, he had a relatively short attention span. That attention span had been stretched far past its limits, and it was still early in the morning. I found myself wandering aimlessly as I tried to think of something, Tyrone groaning impatiently hovering beside me.

"I know, Tyrone, I'm trying to think. I could've had you train with Janine, but I want the whole team to get personal specialized training. We can't go back to Pokemon Tower since that's where the people of Cerulean will be staying now. Ugh…"

_'Perhaps I could help with that? I'm not a Ghost Pokemon trainer, of course, but I'm sure we could figure something out.'_

"Sabrina?"

_'I don't have any challengers to contend with today. Kadabra, teleport to Saffron city Gym!'_

In an instant, we were inside the Saffron city Gym, which was filled with numerous people, all in white robes, and all different evolutions of Psychic Pokemon. Sabrina's Alakazam suddenly collapsed to the floor, panting heavily. Sabrina rushed to its side, yelling out orders to the people that filled the building.

"Now, everyone! Have your Pokemon put up a mental protection barrier all around the Gym!"

Drowzee's, Hypno's, Abra's, Kadabra's, Psyduck's, Golduck's and even Slowpoke's and Slowbro's all focused intensely, creating a powerful dome of psychic energy around everyone in the Gym. Sabrina helped Alakazam to its feet, smiling.

"Good work, Alakazam. Now, use Recover."

Within moments, the strong Pokemon was fully rejuvenated, though Tyrone mocked being unimpressed by the whole thing, cackling madly.

"Thank you, Sabrina. But who are all these people? Do they know-?"

_'They know what they need to know, Bruce. They are my apprentices in psychic abilities, and they have been told that this exercise is part of their training. Fair?'_

I didn't want to sound like I knew something the rest of them didn't, so I just nodded. Sabrina smiled, and called out her other two Pokemon, Hypno and Mr. Mime, the four of them forming a line-up in front of her.

_'Good. Then let's begin.'_

* * *

It was early evening by the time I had retrieved my team, walking up the steep slope to Victory Road. Sabrina's Alakazam was still with me, but it was able to keep itself concealed from the eight guards that we passed on the way up, each of them carefully inspecting my badges to be certain they were all legitimate before allowing me to continue. Finally, the last guard cleared me to pass, and I felt myself tense as I slowly walked into Victory Road, the last obstacle standing between me and the Indigo Plateau.

* * *

I had never felt more exhausted than I did when I finally walked out of Victory Road, both my mind and body on the brink of collapse as I walked into the Pokemon Center. I feel that this log entry is somewhat lacking, given the rigorous trials my team and I have endured, but I am too tired to write any further. As I bring this entry to a close, I am almost grateful that the day has been so exhausting, because I very much doubt that I would be able to fall asleep otherwise, with all the pressure I will be under tomorrow.


	23. Day 22

**A/N: **I don't usually put notes like this, so I hate to break that stride, but, I feel obligated to give fair warning. For the next five consecutive log entries (maybe more), the level of Pokemon VS Pokemon action is going to spike- by about 200%. Hopefully that's good news. Enjoy!

Bruce's Log-Day 22

I woke up even earlier than usual this morning, despite the taxing effect of the training and battles I had endured the previous day. I was assaulted by several emotions all at once as I made my to the Pokemart, purchasing as many Full Restores as my wallet allowed. I was excited that I had made it so far. I was saddened by how close I was to the end of my journey. I was eager to meet the trainers of the Elite Four. I was nervous that I might be disappointed by who they really were. Most of the things I had heard about them were facts skewed to the point of absurd by obsessive admiration. I felt clammy as I walked to the registration counter for challengers, struggling to maintain any semblance of focus in my mind. I was told that I would have to report for my first match in an hour, since one was already taking place, and in the darkest corner of my mind, I wondered if it wasn't too late to turn back.

* * *

I wandered aimlessly around the small city, trying to keep my mind distracted from how nervous I felt. But in spite of my best efforts to think of other things, my mind always came back around to the Elite Four, all the things I had heard about them. I had been told most of my life, ever since Gary and I were young and had first wanted to become trainers, about how terrifyingly powerful they all were. I soon gave up on trying to distract myself, my mind hopelessly focused on the upcoming match. I kept looking at the clock every twenty seconds, and I decided the only thing to help reduce my anxiety level would be if I could recall as many facts about the Elite Four as possible. I knew their names by heart, and, with a little effort, I managed to remember a few factual details about their battle skills Gary and I had heard from Professor Oak. I recited the information in my head, memorizing them to keep myself calm.

_'Lorelei, the youngest member of the four, expert in Ice type Pokemon. Bruno, the bulkiest and the most vigorous, specializing in both Rock and Fighting types. Agatha, the eldest and most experienced, highly respected trainer of Pokemon of Poison typing. Lance, easily the most powerful of the four, unrivaled master of the legendarily rare Dragon type Pokemon.'_

Despite repeating all of it to myself at least a dozen times, it only provided temporary comfort, which was instantaneously broken as I heard my name echoing from the loudspeakers positioned all around the city. I looked at the clock, sweating a little, wondering why they were calling me to the stadium so soon.

_'Its only been about twenty minutes. Isn't there still a match going on against that other challenger?'_

I received a swift answer, though it didn't do much for my confidence.

"The match with today's first challenger has ended much sooner than anticipated, therefore the next challenger, Bruce, will be expected to report to the Indigo Stadium within ten minutes. There will be a quick clean-up of the battlefield, after which the next battle will begin!"

I felt a chill run down my spine, trying not to think about why the battlefield needed cleaning. Taking a deep breath and steeling myself, I made my way toward the stadium…

* * *

I was sitting in a dimly lit chamber, a huge door looming before me, the blaring noise of the announcer and the crowd almost suffocating me as it finally opened. Bright sunlight attacked my eyes, revealing an enormous battlefield, feeling myself flooded with awe at the sheer size of the stadium. It was entirely full despite how early in the morning it was, the announcers voice just barely audible over the audience's roars.

"Welcome back to the Indigo Stadium of Kanto's Pokemon League, ladies and gentlemen! Home of the Elite Four, the strongest trainers in the region, renowned around the world! Our second challenger of the day is a young man of only sixteen, Bruce of Pallet Town! Despite his age, his trainer profile indicates an impressive level of skill, folks! We may get quite a show here today!"

My fists clenched and unclenched nervously, the announcer's praise having done nothing for my confidence. I knew that it was his job to make it sound as though every match would be exciting, even if everyone knows perfectly well that it will be otherwise. I heard the crowd start cheering with extreme liveliness, looking down to the opposite end of the field to see my first opponent walk out. A young woman with a thick, long red ponytail, I figured out Lorelei's identity long before it was spoken by the announcer, the crowd's cheers seemingly endless.

"Fans, here she is! Lorelei, Bruce's first opponent of his battle against the Elite Four! She's an incredibly confident expert of Ice Pokemon, delivering harshly chilling blows to all challengers!"

I felt a little less tense, having at least been reassured that the Elite Four, powerful as they were, were still human. The logical part of my brain had always known they were, but growing up hearing only exaggerations about how grandiose they were, the superstitious part of my brain had been uncertain. When all you hear about someone is that they can do no wrong, part of you starts to think of them as gods, yet here, before me, was not a god, but a human. As ridiculous as it may sound, that alone was enough to reassure me that victory was possible. Suddenly, the two sections of the field Lorelei and I were standing on raised up, the rest of the stadium floor below essentially changing into a giant glacier. I gulped, but was starting to feel a strange eagerness, an unknown exhilaration.

_'So the field is altered accordingly to give them a strategical advantage… I should be terrified that even more is apparently working in their favor, but I'm actually… excited.'_

I was perplexed by the sudden disappearance of the fear that had been cracking away at my resolve all morning. It may have been a sudden adrenalin rush, or maybe it was testosterone, or maybe it was because right then, at that moment, any and all opportunities to turn and run were gone, trapping me in a corner and forcing me to fight back. Whatever the reason may have been, I was suddenly looking forward to the battle as the trainer boxes lowered down again. Held just above the icy field, they were moved along an electric rail under the field toward each other, meeting at the center. I stepped forward, shaking hands with Lorelei.

"You remind me a little bit of me when I was younger. I saw that uncertain look in your eyes disappear just a moment ago. It's this stadium, it has a strange effect on trainers. I expect a good battle from you, Bruce."

I smirked, tuning out the noise surrounding us as our platforms disconnected again.

"I'll try not to disappoint you."

* * *

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"

Lorelei didn't hesitate in calling out her first Pokemon, Dewgong, which won the crowds immediate approval. My mind raced as I reached for my belt, briefly pondering how to properly counter.

_'An ice field will probably give her Pokemon the ability to move around much faster… Okay then, I'll just test out that theory.'_

I called out Dyno, grinning as I watched his electricity crackle excitedly. Lorelei didn't flinch as I made the first move.

"Dyno, Thunderbolt!"

Dyno's electricity flew toward Dewgong, though his opponent didn't make any attempt to move until the very last second, gliding along the ice in a flurry of movement. Dyno's thunder didn't stop, it was angled off the ice, spreading wildly in all directions, yet Lorelei didn't flinch, completely unfazed even as bolts of electricity passed mere inches from her head.

"Dewgong, Aurora Beam."

The seal Pokemon's white body was nothing more than a streak against the ice, I couldn't follow its movement as it attacked Dyno with a wave of frigid energy.

"DYNO, LIGHT SCREEN!"

Just an instant before the powerful beam struck, Dyno surrounded himself with a barrier which absorbed most of the energy, minimizing the damage of the blow. Despite having survived, Dyno was still encased with ice, frozen by Dewgong's attack. I had to switch out, I knew Dyno wasn't nearly as well equipped to move on ice like Dewgong, not on Lorelei's home field. I had to get rid of the ice that had him imprisoned, but Lorelei didn't intend to give me any opportunities to make any kind of plan.

"Dewgong, finish it with Take Down!"

I moved without thinking, purely on instinct, knowing that if I paused for even the smallest fraction of a second, Dyno would be killed.

"Dyno! Sonicboom, NOW!"

In an instant, three things happened; Dyno shattered the ice that had trapped him, I switched him out for Poseidon, and Dewgong's horn collided with his fangs, the impact stunning the white seal Pokemon. I didn't stop there, I had to make sure Dewgong didn't get the chance to move freely on the ice again. Before Lorelei could shout out another command, I made my move.

"POSEIDON, USE DRAGON RAGE!"

A powerful wave of blue fire poured from Poseidon's jaws, engulfing Dewgong completely. When the flames cleared, Dewgong was unconscious from a combination of recoil from its own attack and Dragon Rage. I felt dazed, broken out of my trance only when the announcer spoke again, igniting another roar from the crowd. I felt the exhilaration increase, having won the first bout with Lorelei as she recalled Dewgong, bringing out Cloyster. Poseidon growled, clearly eager to fight, charging forward as I called for a Bite attack.

"Cloyster, Withdraw."

Cloyster encased itself within its protective shell, negating the effectiveness of Poseidon's Bite attack as he closed his jaws around it.

"Spike Cannon."

Just before the shell Pokemon could follow through with its attack, which would have surely impaled Poseidon's body with dozens of sharp spines, I shouted out for a counter.

"Hyper Beam!"

Cloyster was blasted from Poseidon's mouth, sent crashing into the icy field, the powerful energy beam cracking its protective shell. Before Poseidon could deliver the finishing attack, however, Lorelei switched out, bringing out a Slowbro.

_'Figures. Should've known such a quick second defeat was too good to be true.'_

"Headbutt."

Slowbro moved with amazing speed, practically skating as it rammed into Poseidon's body with incredible force, sending his long body crashing back against the stadium walls. There was no worry in my mind, though, I knew the extent of Poseidon's endurance.

"Poseidon, use Bite on the field!"

He roared as he leapt into the air, crashing down into the center of the icy field, cracking the thick layers of ice and causing it to sift. Without a relatively level surface, Slowbro was unable to move for a few brief moments, and the constantly rising and moving icebergs temporarily blocked me from Lorelei's sight, allowing me to switch Poseidon for Dyno and attack before she could resume control of the match.

"Thunderbolt!"

Dyno's electricity shot through the shifting ice toward Slowbro, shocking his opponent with devastating results, though not quite enough to take it down.

"Slowbro, use Confusion."

Using its psychic abilities, Slowbro held the entire field of shifting ice absolutely still, clearly still able to fight despite having taken such a powerful blow. Suddenly, the huge blocks of ice broke down into thousands of tiny shards, all rising high into the air, pointing toward Dyno.

"And, Blizzard."

The shards all fell downward at once, slicing through the air, falling faster and faster with each passing millisecond. My body was moving on instinct again, and then, not three seconds after the attack had been ordered, the shards were shattering against the ground all around me. I was blocked from view for only two moments, yet by some minor miracle, I managed to make FIVE things happen; I switched out Jenso for Dyno, I had Jenso use Flamethrower to melt only the ice shards which posed an immediate threat to me or my team, I switched Jenso back for Dyno, I had Dyno use Sonicboom to rocket his way out of the Blizzard attack, and I defeated Lorelei's second Pokemon with a ground-zero Thunderbolt. Slowbro stood still for a moment, then fell forward, unconscious. The crowd let out an uproar of mixed emotions as Lorelei switched out again for her Jynx as the icy field began to settle. I recalled Dyno, knowing that he had no advantage in terms of typing over Jynx, and I ignored the crowd's obvious surprise when I called out Jenso.

_'I need to end this bout quickly. Jenso's Flying sub-type makes him a double-edge sword against Ice types.'_

"Flamethrower!"

Jenso let out a powerful stream of flames from deep within his throat, though Lorelei didn't give any command for Jynx to avoid the attack.

"Psychic."

Mere moments before the flames struck, Jynx raised its hands, manipulating the fire and averting it skyward before leaping around the field of broken ice, circling around us.

"Ice Punch."

Before Jenso could make any attempt to avoid the attack, Jynx rammed its fist, shrouded by frost, into his chest. Blood leaked from his jaws, though he refused to be knocked from his footing, his heels cracking down into the ice before he smacked Jynx aside with his tail. Despite his stubbornness, he was still severely weakened by the blow, momentarily taking a knee before Lorelei called out for the final blow.

"Aurora Beam."

"JENSO, FLY, NOW!"

The frigid energy beam narrowly missed its target as Jenso launched himself skyward, circling over the stadium. Lorelei didn't let up, ordering Jynx to continue its assault, firing Aurora Beams after Jenso as he weaved his way around them.

"JENSO, COUNTER WITH FIRE BLAST!"

The huge blast of flames collided with Aurora Beam, canceling each other out, but both leaving their marks on their targets. The cold energy froze a minor section of Jenso's left wing, the imbalanced weight causing him to spiral to the ground. Despite the damage he had sustained, Jenso's attack had done far more damage, the excessive flames not only defeating his opponent, but also melting the majority of the icy field.

"Jenso!"

I cried out, but Jenso merely shook it off, smirking at me in spite of his pain, using the flame of his tail to melt the ice surrounding his wing and roaring triumphantly. I saw Lorelei smile only slightly, though she didn't seem at all phased by having three of her team defeated, calling out a particularly bulky Lapras. I knew Jenso would still want to fight, but I recalled him regardless, sending out Poseidon again, both of the two Water Pokemon staring each other down as they made ripples in the small lake of water.

_'Dyno's almost completely exhausted his reserves of electricity, he's gone all out with three Thunderbolts. I just need Poseidon to weaken Lapras a little so Dyno can finish this.'_

"Lapras, Ice Beam."

I felt my fists clench, I realized that Lorelei had caught on to what little semblance of a plan I had, and she obviously didn't intend to hold anything back.

"Poseidon, dive, quickly!"

The water's surface where Poseidon had been froze as Lapras' Ice Beam made contact with it, and Lorelei immediately proceeded to freeze the entire field over again, trapping Poseidon beneath the surface. I heard Poseidon crash his body against the ice, but it was stronger and much thicker than it had originally been, too strong for even his Bite attack to break through. He could barely hear me through the frozen water that separated us, and the crowd went up in cheers for Lorelei. If my Pokemon couldn't fight back, and if I couldn't switch out, I had to forfeit, and everyone figured that it was over. My eyes darkened, I shouted to Poseidon, my voice overwhelming the roar of the audience.

"POSEIDON, HYDRO PUMP, AND FOLLOW UP WITH SURF!"

All at once, a huge hole in the center of the ice appeared, gallons of high-pressure water rocketing skyward, the rest of the ice immediately shattered afterward as Poseidon thrashed his body around to create powerful waves. As Lapras splashed back into the water, only partially damaged by the sudden attack, I recalled Poseidon, bringing out Dyno, grinning eagerly even as he sank into the waters depths.

**"THUNDER!"**

Time slowed to a crawl, the water shimmering brightly, Dyno's electricity coursing through the water that surrounded him, bolts of lightning dancing on its surface, sailing upward over the stadium. Several moments passed, the dust settled, and Lapras lay atop what little ice still remained on the field, unconscious and defeated. The crowd was silent as Lorelei calmly recalled her Pokemon, pulling a white card from a sleeve in her overcoat, holding it high over her head for all to see. I realized that she was surrendering, and I wondered why she hadn't brought out her Cloyster again as the crowd went up in cheers. I dropped my bag, diving down into the water, swimming down to Dyno. He was utterly spent, too weak to bring himself to the surface, but he was grinning, clearly happy as I was to have earned our first victory against the Elite Four. I recalled him and was met with Lorelei's outstretched hand to help me out of the water as the announcer's voice echoed through the stadium.

"WINNER! BRUCE OF PALLET TOWN!"

* * *

Lorelei walked with me out of the stadium, smiling contentedly despite having lost the match.

"Why'd you surrender? You still had Cloyster…"

"It may not have been knocked out, but it had been through enough by that point. It's always important to know your Pokemon's limitations, Bruce. Besides, even if I had used Cloyster again, there's no doubt in my mind that you still would have found a way to win."

I felt my face flush a little as we walked toward the Pokemon Center, slightly taken aback by receiving praise from someone so highly-respected. Lorelei was suddenly bombarded with reporters and fans, however, and so our conversation ended sooner than I would have liked. Still, it was reassuring to have had a human conversation with one of the Elite Four, and after having won my first victory, I feel that my confidence has finally been returned to me. As I close this log entry, there is still admittedly small nagging uncertainty about tomorrows match. But it's nearly insignificant now, when compared to this strange anticipation I feel when I think of another battle like that which took place today.


	24. Day 23

Bruce's Log-Day 23

I was sitting in the same dim chamber just outside the stadium, waiting for the doors to open. Despite having regained my confidence after my first victory, I was still fidgety with anxiety, albeit not fearfully as I had been. I tried to piece together some semblance of a strategy as the minutes tediously passed, wondering which of the remaining Elite Four members I was going to face. The question that stood most prominently above all others in my mind was how the field would be altered.

_'Rock and Fighting types… What do they benefit from? The battlefield in Brock's gym was covered with boulders, but there wasn't anything special about the arenas in the Dojo. What kind of design could Bruno have come up with that would be beneficial to both types? Or Agatha, with her Poison Pokemon? Koga's gym didn't have anything unusual about its field either. I guess using techniques to hide himself and his Pokemon from sight might have something to do with it… God, what if they're putting me up against Lance? DRAGON types? What kind of field would THAT be like?'_

My thoughts were suddenly cut off as the doors finally opened, the overwhelming noise shattering any focus I might have had. Forcing the anxiety out of my mind, I stepped out onto the field, feeing the same eagerness that had gripped me the previous day take hold again. After a brief introduction from the announcer, a dauntingly bulky man leapt out from the opposite chamber, garbed only in torn white pants and a black belt.

"Fans, I present to you, the master of Rock and Fighting Pokemon, Bruno!"

_'Not much of an introduction. I guess his skills are meant to speak for themselves.'_

Then, the trainer boxes rose again, and the stadium rumbled as the field changed. I watched in amazement as dozens of jagged stone spires rose out of the ground, all adorned with lethally sharp edges. Only a modest portion in the center of the field was left clear, giving the arena the atmosphere of a gorge or a mountain. I unconsciously gulped, sweating with anticipation as the trainer boxes moved toward one another to meet at the center.

"I was told that you're a fierce contender. I admit, you do have the eyes of a warrior."

I looked up at Bruno's hardened expression, smirking a little as I shook his hand.

"I've been told that you're a trainer who lives for the thrill of an intense battle. I've gotta say, I'm eager to see what you can do."

Bruno grinned as the trainer boxes separated, and the crowd roared as the match began.

* * *

Bruno's first Pokemon was an Onix, and despite the obvious type advantage, I hesitated in reaching for Poseidon's Pokeball. My mind was racing, my eyes scanning the field thoroughly as I pondered who to counter with.

_'Poseidon would give me a type advantage, but…'_

I thought back to my match the previous day against Lorelei, how I had opened up with Dyno.

_'Even if I do have the advantage, I'm betting they'll all have countermeasures in place like she did. That mistake almost got Dyno killed, I can't afford to take that risk again.'_

I made my choice, calling out Tyrone to the surprise of the announcer, the crowd and even Bruno himself. They had all clearly been expecting me to start off with Poseidon, and many even expressed disappointment, figuring that Tyrone was a poor choice. Of course, Bruno knew better, and he didn't intend to pull any punches, making the first move.

"Onix, use Dig!"

The long snake Pokemon burrowed beneath the ground with alarming speed, reappearing beneath Tyrone within seconds.

"Tyrone, Double Team!"

Tyrone cackled as he began to create dozens of after-images of himself, thoroughly confusing Onix and allowing him to dodge the attack at the same time.

"Night Shade!"

Twin beams of dark crimson energy shot out from Tyrone's eyes as Bruno called for a counterattack.

"Rock Throw!"

Onix roared as its tail smashed into the spires that covered the field, launching a barrage of boulders that collided with Tyrone's Night Shade, the two attacks canceling each other out. A large cloud appeared as a result of the debris left by the shattered boulders, and both Bruno and I ordered a follow up attack within the same instant.

"ONIX, SKULL BASH!"

"PSYCHIC ATTACK!"

Time seemed to stand still, the whole crowd was holding its breath as they waited for the dust cloud to clear. There was a loud crash, and the stadium shook as the debris cleared to reveal Onix smashed down into the floor of the battlefield. Tyrone was levitating high in the air, a cocky grin etched on his face as Onix pulled itself free, roaring. Tyrone simply stared intensely into his opponents eyes, and Onix fell back to the ground, defeated. The crowd was stunned, then went wild with cheers as Bruno recalled his Pokemon.

_'Huh. That wasn't too bad. Impressive first win for Tyrone, too.'_

I grinned up at Tyrone, my pride in his victory swiftly turning to shock, noticing blood dripping from a cut on his forehead. My eyes fell down to Bruno, I saw an eager grin on his face, and felt sweat develop on mine. I felt an excited smirk start to form as I recalled Tyrone, waiting for Bruno to make his next choice.

_'Damn, this guy's good…'_

The crowd cheered again as Bruno brought out Hitmonchan, a favorite amongst Fighting type trainers. I didn't hesitate, I knew instinctively who to bring out, the crowd roaring as Kratos appeared in the sky, perching atop one of the stone spires. Bruno folded his arms, and I could tell he was waiting for me to attack first.

"Kratos, Quick Attack!"

Kratos launched from his position, tearing across the field towards Hitmonchan at near sub-sonic speeds.

"Fire Punch!"

Just as Kratos was about to strike, Hitmonchan's right fist suddenly burst into flames and smashed into Kratos, leaving a severe burn mark. Bruno didn't let up, he called for a follow-up attack while Kratos was recovering from the blow.

"Ice Punch!"

Hitmonchan's left fist became shrouded with frost as it struck Kratos' right wing, freezing it entirely and leaving him flightless.

"Finish it off! Thunder Punch!"

"KRATOS, USE SUBSTITUTE, NOW!"

A mere instant before the final blow could be delivered, Kratos avoided the attack with Substitute, a technique which drains a portion of a Pokemon's energy and creates a physical replica of itself. The copy took the blow, but was immediately destroyed, which only gave Kratos a few brief moments to recover. I moved to recall him, but I froze when I saw the flare in his eyes, and I realized that his pride would be broken if I were to switch him out. I let out a sigh, but grinned as Bruno ordered a second assault.

"Hitmonchan, Fire Punch, once more!"

"Kratos, use the flame to melt the ice!"

Before Bruno could call off the attack, Kratos was freed, the ice encasing his wing shattered by Hitmonchan's attack.

"Fly, and use Agility!"

Taking to the sky, Kratos began building up momentum as he circled overhead, his speed increasing significantly with each passing second. Bruno ordered Hitmonchan to take a defensive stance as Kratos made a dive for his opponent, and I felt my fists clench, tensed as I waited for the right moment to strike.

"MEGA PUNCH!"

As Hitmonchan's fist reared back and shot forward powerfully, I shouted out a counter mere milliseconds before it struck.

"MIRROR MOVE!"

The blow was negated, the force reversed back to its origin, crashing down into Hitmonchan.

"WING ATTACK!"

Kratos' body smashed into Hitmonchan's, the strength of the twin blows rocketing it into the stone spires. The fighting Pokemon fell, beaten, and a fresh uproar of cheers erupted as both Pokemon were recalled.

'_A trainer who lives for the thrill of an intense battle… Guess that wasn't an exaggeration.'_

Bruno called out a Hitmonlee, and I countered with Starscream, the noise of the audience having been tuned out as the match continued to intensify. Hitmonlee moved with incredible swiftness, its spring-like legs stretching as it leapt over the stone spires, nimbly jumping from one to the next. Starscream followed without any reluctance, diving down just above the deadly peaks, weaving his way around them as he kept pace with his opponent.

"Hitmonlee, Rolling Kick!"

The kicking Pokemon performed a flawless cartwheel, its coiled legs stretching out and rolling with its body, bringing its powerful feet down towards Starscream.

"Starscream, dodge and attack its legs with Wing Attack!"

Starscream strafed to the left and right to avoid both kicks before circling around and moving to attack Hitmonlee's outstretched limbs. The instant he was about to strike, Bruno ordered a counterattack.

"RETRACT!"

Faster than my eyes could follow, Hitmonlee's legs snapped backward to its body, its feet crashing into Starscream and knocking him down toward the fatally sharp spikes below.

"STARSCREAM, WHIRLWIND, QUICKLY!"

Starscream kicked up a fierce gale of wind with his wings, negating the downward momentum and allowing him to avoid being impaled. I let out a sigh of relief as he flew back up to safety, though Bruno had no intention of allowing me even the briefest respite.

"Now, Mega Kick, attack the field!"

Hitmonlee let out a battle cry as it smashed its right foot squarely into one of the spires, shattering it to pieces and launching a barrage of boulders toward Starscream.

"HYPER BEAM, NOW!"

A huge beam of glowing energy shot out from Starscream's mouth, blasting away the onslaught of projectiles and striking Hitmonlee simultaneously. The kicking Pokemon was sent flying toward the walls of the arena as Bruno shouted out another command.

"Recover, and rebound!"

In an incredible display of agility, Hitmonlee flipped itself in midair, and kicked off the wall. Its legs stretched out to brace for impact with the opposite wall, ricocheting all around the arena flawlessly.

"Starscream, fly up over the field and use Supersonic to confuse Hitmonlee!"

Starscream narrowly avoided colliding with Hitmonlee as he took flight, circling around and emanating an overwhelming screech over the field. Despite the intensity of the sound waves, Hitmonlee was barely fazed, its focus on the battle too deeply ingrained in its mind to be disrupted.

"NOW, STRIKE! HI JUMP KICK!"

The fighting Pokemon smashed its feet against the wall of the arena, rocketing skyward towards Starscream.

"STARSCREAM, RAZOR WIND, NOW!"

Two seconds. Hitmonlee's right leg stretching out. Its limbs snapping back forcefully to deliver the blow. Starscream twisted around. Hitmonlee's attack was mere inches from striking its target. Starscream beat his wings rapidly, dozens of blades of wind assaulted his opponent. Hitmonlee was propelled downward powerfully by the slashing gales, smashing into the ground, unconscious and bleeding from several gashes. The crowd was silent for a few moments, briefly stunned as Bruno recalled Hitmonlee. However, their roars immediately resumed as he brought out a second, much larger Onix. I recalled Starscream, my hands sweating slightly as my mind raced.

_'I can't hope for Tyrone's luck to last another round. But the field's set up like a death trap for anything that can't fly or isn't a Rock type. I can't risk putting Jenso out there, and Dyno's out of the question.'_

I cursed silently before calling out Poseidon. I felt a chill run down my spine as Bruno merely smirked, the audience cheering as he gestured for me to attack first.

_'Gotta be cautious here. One wrong move and Poseidon will get impaled. His size isn't going to help. I'll have to play along with whatever countermeasure Bruno has planned until I can think of a way around it…'_

I tensed before shouting out to Poseidon.

"WATER GUN!"

Large spheres of liquid shot out of Poseidon's mouth. I felt my tension rise higher as Onix remained completely still. At the very instant the attack was about to strike, Bruno shouted out.

"Dodge the attack, and strike with Take Down!"

With unbelievable swiftness, the rock snake Pokemon ducked to the ground, avoiding Poseidon's attack and speeding towards its target.

"Poseidon, MOVE!"

Poseidon's own agility was significantly reduced on land, and he barely managed to avoid the assault.

"Onix, strike with Rock Slide!"

Onix didn't even attempt to lessen its momentum as it crashed into the jagged spires that adorned the field, twisting around and using its tail to launch the resulting debris hurling toward Poseidon.

"POSEIDON, SHATTER THE BOULDERS WITH HYDRO PUMP!"

A huge, powerful jet of water erupted from Poseidon's jaws, overpowering Onix' Rock Slide.

"Onix, burrow beneath the field!"

Before Poseidon's counterattack could even destroy the boulders that had been thrown at him, his opponent slithered underground, disappearing from sight.

"NOW, EARTHQUAKE!"

From below the surface, Onix used its powerful body to shake entire field, disorienting Poseidon and causing an avalanche of boulders as the spires began to crumble. I shouted out to Poseidon, praying he could hear me over the deafening roar of the earth as it shook. The rumbling finally ceased, and after several minutes, the dust settled. Onix was back above the mountain of rubble, but I didn't see any sign of Poseidon. The crowd started buzzing, I felt my body shaking. Then, suddenly, a roar echoed from beneath the surface, and Poseidon erupted out from under the rubble. He was bleeding, cut and battered, but still able to fight, and I let myself breathe again. Bruno looked surprised, but his smirk didn't wane, instead he simply called for another attack.

"ONIX, FINISH IT! SKULL BASH!"

"Poseidon, don't try to avoid it! Just hold your ground!"

The entire crowd was shocked by my choice, but Poseidon didn't question it, he lowered his head, taking the full brunt of the attack as Onix' head collided with his. The momentum that Onix had built up was strong, pushing Poseidon up against the stadium walls.

"NOW, POSEIDON, USE BITE!"

Poseidon's jaws clamped down tightly onto Onix' neck, and I smirked as I saw realization appear on Bruno's face.

"ONIX, BACK OFF, QUICKLY!"

The giant rock snake tried to pull away, but Poseidon's jaws were latched on too tightly, he refused to move.

"Strike with your tail, Onix!"

"POSEIDON, USE BIND TO RESTRICT ITS MOVEMENTS!"

Poseidon's opponent tried to counterattack, but without the opportunity to build momentum, Poseidon was faster, wrapping his body around Onix.

"NOW, POUR IT ON! ALL OUT HYRDO PUMP!"

Poseidon released Onix from his jaws, rearing back and launching gallons of forceful water onto his opponent, blasting Onix across the field and smashing into the opposite wall of the stadium. When the water pressure finally lessened, it was over, and the crowd went wild with cheers as both Bruno and I recalled our Pokemon. I let out a sigh, allowing my nerves to relax a little. The crowd had been stunned into silence again, and even Bruno paused briefly before his eager expression returned as he called out his final Pokemon, Machamp. I grinned, making my choice without any hesitation, calling out Jenso just as the crowd's vigorous cheering resumed. Jenso landed down on the field, staring down his opponent.

_'That Earthquake destroyed most of those gnarly spires. Jenso has more than enough room to maneuver.'_

"Machamp, begin with Strength! Make the environment your weapon!"

The fighting Pokemon let out a battle cry, stabbing each of its four arms into the huge boulders that littered the field. It lifted the four boulders over its head with ease, leaping into the air. The superpower Pokemon swung its weapons downward as it fell toward Jenso.

"Jenso, fly under Machamp! Circle around behind it and use Flamethrower!"

Jenso roared as he unfolded his wings, flying low to the ground just under Machamp as two of the boulders shattered against the ground he had been standing on. But before he could circle back, Machamp landed down, swirling itself around and launching its two remaining projectiles one after the other. Jenso didn't have time to move, turning just as the first boulder smashed into his body, breaking apart on impact.

"Jenso! Dig into the ground with your claws! Try to stop the second one!"

Jenso growled, crashing his feet into the hard earth beneath him, catching the second boulder. Bruno didn't give me so much as a fraction of a second to hesitate, calling for another attack.

"Machamp, don't give it a chance to recover! Strike with a Mega Kick!"

Before Jenso could dispose of the extra weight, Machamp charged forward, attacking with a kick that knocked Jenso off his feet, crashing into the walls of the stadium and falling to the ground.

"JENSO!"

"Machamp, strike again, now with Karate Chop!"

The four-armed Pokemon rushed toward Jenso as he struggled to push himself to his feet.

"JENSO, FLY!"

Jenso tried to rise over the ground, but he barely managed to hover before landing back down again. I felt myself tense and grow overwhelmed by a wave of fear as I noticed one of his wings had been damaged from the last attack. Jenso gritted his teeth, using his uninjured wing to clumsily move out of Machamp's path, only just avoiding another assault.

_'Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! I let my guard down! Bruno wasn't trying to get a type advantage by using the terrain, he was going for Jenso's wings!'_

I kept shouting out to Jenso as Bruno continued a merciless onslaught of attacks, my mind racing.

_'Without his wings, he loses his only advantage! His body isn't built for fast ground __movement like Machamp's is!'_

The crowd's cheering grew steadily louder as Jenso started tiring out, the distance between him and Machamp's fists growing shorter with each second that passed.

_'He can't keep this up… If only he could somehow stop all of Machamp's attacks at once! It'd take too long for him to counter with a fire attack… Wait…'_

"JENSO, USE BITE, AND STOP IT'S ATTACKS WITH YOUR TAIL!"

A millisecond. Jenso's look of confusion, then realization and eager anxiety. Machamp didn't pause. Two fists… Jenso stopped with his hands. One… caught, entwined by his tail. The last one, meeting with his jaws, caught between his fangs. Machamp let out a surprised cry of pain, jerking its hand free of Jenso's mouth.

"NOW, DRAGON RAGE!"

Before Bruno or his Pokemon could react, the flamed tip of Jenso's tail crackled, growing as a swirling mass of powerful flames erupted from his mouth, the sheer force of the eruption pushing Machamp backward. The fighting Pokemon suffered severe burns, but didn't go down, clenching its fists again, staring Jenso down as the two combatants waited for another command.

'_Bruno won't be unprepared a second time. Dyno might be able to overpower Machamp's speed, but…'_

I only needed a brief glance into Jenso's eyes to know that Dyno wasn't an option.

"MACHAMP, PREPARE FOR THE FINAL STRIKE! USE FOCUS ENERGY!"

Machamp's upper arms gradually relaxed, their energy flowing through its body and gathering in its mid limbs.

"JENSO, SLASH ATTACK! NOW!"

Machamp didn't make any attempt to avoid the attack, sent crashing into the stone walls of the stadium.

_'Crap… Bruno wouldn't have let that one hit unless he knew Machamp's technique was finished…'_

"JENSO, YOU HAVE TO FLY! IT'S COMING FOR THE KILL!"

Jenso tried to lift himself off the ground, but his face contorted with excruciating pain whenever he tried to unfold his right wing. Machamp rocketed out toward Jenso, its lower arms outstretched. I shouted at Jenso, my hand instinctively moving to my waist as Bruno yelled his command.

"SUBMISSION!"

I shouted out, a new plan actually forming in my head as it was being carried out. Machamp's attack was already underway, the four-armed Pokemon having taking control of Jenso's body, both of them rolling at high speeds across the field.

"JENSO, USE FIRE SPIN! TAKE BACK CONTROL FROM MACHAMP!"

The spinning opponents were suddenly engulfed by a swirling mass of fire, their course wavering and jagged as Jenso struggled to cancel out the force of the rotation.

_'Submission is the most powerful technique of Fighting Pokemon. Its effectiveness is basically a matter of strength, concentration and balance. The user first has to be able to tackle the target, while at the same time getting a firm hold on the opponent's arms and legs in such a way that the enemy can't break out of it. The momentum of the tackle then, in theory, causes the first of several vertical rotations. The momentum is then increased further by the user, shifting their weight and using their back muscles to maintain and amplify the rotation. Once it reaches a certain intensity, the user stops and uses the momentum of the opponent to launch them with insanely powerful force, only canceled out by the first object able to withstand it, almost guaranteeing a K.O. But only if the opponent isn't given a chance to counterattack during the rotation.'_

The crowd was in a tense state of buzzing awe, all focused in on the rolling mass of flames as both combatants fought for control, its path set on smashing into the stadium walls. The momentum had reached a point too high for even Machamp to stop, and neither I nor Bruno could do anything else at that point. The fire was too strong, too thick to tell who was going to take the blow as they crashed, the impact shaking the floor of the arena, a cloud of smoke and debris erupting as the flames were extinguished all at once. The stadium went silent, everyone waiting to see who had been victorious. The tedious seconds ticked by, until the screaming silence was shattered by Jenso's triumphant roar as he blasted back the smoke with his left wing, Machamp laying battered and beaten behind him. The audience exploded with cheers as Bruno recalled his Pokemon, a subtle, yet satisfied smile etched on his face as I recalled Jenso.

"THE WINNER! CHALLENGER BRUCE OF PALLET!"

* * *

"You are indeed a fierce trainer, Bruce. It has been far too long since I have enjoyed a match so thoroughly."

At Bruno's request, I had met up with him at one of his training spots later that day. Despite the burdens I had weighing down on me, standing there on that mountainside, able to see such an enormous expanse of the Kanto region, I felt contented.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Only if you answer mine first."

I raised an eyebrow, wondering what he could possibly be referring to.

"You're Gyarados is one of the few Pokemon that have been able to endure Onix' Earthquake. But I simply cannot figure how you did so."

I smiled lightly, still taking in the landscape.

"Reflect. I knew that it would double his endurance and the protective capabilities of his body."

Bruno's expression shifted to mirror mine, my mind refocusing on my own inquiry.

"How did you manage to injure Tyrone with an attack like Skull Bash? Ghost Pokemon are supposed to be immune to physical attacks."

"They are, for the most part. But although Professors call them Gas Pokemon, at the very center of their form, there's a vulnerable solid point."

I was stunned as Bruno laughed heartily before turning his back to the view and began walking back toward the city.

"Use that information well, Bruce. Fight hard tomorrow, and no matter how your challenge ends, I will be eager to have a rematch when we meet again."

I grinned.

"Count on it, Bruno."

* * *

The days battle has been won, and without any loss of life. As grateful as I am for that, as I close this log, I can't shake this ominous sense of dread, even knowing the protection Alakazam provides, even knowing what it is that's plaguing my mind...


End file.
